The Kengan Reaper
by Tricksterverse
Summary: *Crossover with Kengan Ashura* Jacque Schnee is an incredible businessman. But in the underground world of the Kengan matches he's a joke. When a cheery silver eyed girl approaches him asking to be his new representative competitor, however, he has no idea what he's getting himself into.
1. A New Representative Competitor!

**The Kengan Reaper Chapter 1: A New Representative Competitor?!**

The fighter took another hit to his ribs, and dropped his guard. His form was crumpling.

Jaque Schnee watched impassively as his company's representative competitor starts to give ground to his opponent. The prize for today's match was a hundred-million yen dock that Jaque could've used to export his company's product out off. His loss here wouldn't mean anything substantial for his company-Profits were still flying through the roof, after all-_but this is still the fifth loss in a row my company has suffered in a Kengan match, one after another no less._ Jaque was a businessman-and a damn fine one at that-so it shouldn't have been much of a surprise he didn't have the keenest eye when it came to fighting, but these repeated losses were still definitely a problem. _Well, I technically haven't lost this one yet, perhaps he could turn it around._

Of course, just as he thinks this their fighter-a 36 year old karate practitioner-is hit with a rather heavy looking kick to the head and falls to the ground. "Match over! Winner… Shoya Wakimoto!" the referee announced as Jaque sighs. His secretary and daughter, Winter, makes a similar sound of displeasure. Weiss-his youngest daughter-on the other hand, seems a lot more troubled.

"Father… what does this loss mean for the Schnee spice company?" she asks, concerned.

Jaque places a hand on her shoulder. "Less than you would think, Weiss. This is another thing you'll need to learn about business. This fight only ever amounted to a new potential source of income. The loss is discouraging, but considering we already have so many others, it's nothing to be too concerned about."

Weiss nodded dutifully. For the briefest of moments, Jaque feels a warm pride well up in his stomach, and almost smiles. But… a Schnee does not show such emotions in public. Winter speaks up, "While your words are far from incorrect, father. I would remind you that this is our fifth loss in a row in the Kengan matches. Our strength in the Kengan association is emblematic of our strength as a company. As such, these losses are not to be taken lightly."

Jaque eyes his eldest daughter. "I'm aware, Winter," he tells her. He turns back to the crowd of Kengan association employees-cheering and socializing with the winning corporation-before looking back to his children. "There's nothing left for us here, let's return to our car," he demands.

Winter inclines her head, "Of course, father." Jaque escorts his daughters out of the rundown warehouse which had been chosen as the destination for the match. In his head, he's already making plans to find a new representative competitor. Winter words echo in his head as he does. _I need to find someone truly strong to represent my company, someone who can equal my power in their fighting ability._

"Hey there!" a voice cuts through the silence like a knife, interrupting Jaque's thoughts. His head whips to the side, where a figure emerges from a shadowed alleyway between two buildings. Once they step into the light, he's met with a young girl. She couldn't have been any older than Weiss, but the way she carried herself made her feel much older. She had short black hair-dyed red at the ends-and wore a black and tan corset with red trim. Oddly enough, she also wore a crimson red cloak on her shoulders. If he were being frank, he'd say she looked like a punk. The thing is… no average street punk would approach him with such casual disregard. Jaque knew people pretty well, and he was pretty sure this woman had approached him with an offer.

"Sorry if I startled you! I know it's a bit odd, me coming up to you out of the blue like this." she said with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head.

Weiss took a step forward. "Excuse you, _miss_," his daughter intoned with a certain level of haughty superiority. "I'm not sure why you took it upon yourself to try and harass my family, but I'll have security deal with you if you don't clarify why it is you approached us right now," she demanded.

The silver-eyed girl smiled at him brightly. "Well… I was hoping you guys would make me your new representative competitor."

…

Jaque immediately brings the girl-Ruby Rose, as she introduced herself-to his office. Winter stands to the side of him while Weiss stood at the back, next to the door. Jaque Schnee was not normally the type of man to invite random street ravel into his office, but two years in the Kengan association had made him more open to these types of experiences. He could still think back to when he'd first been informed of its existence. He'd been at a complete loss of words back then, when the bloodsport that was the Kengan matches were explained.

_The Kengan matches are, essentially, a proxy war where corporations send in representative competitors to fight each other. In all of these fights there is something both companies are vying for, like the rights to the dock I just lost. Like Winter said before, the proxy fighters we use in the Kengan matches are emblematic of the strength we possess as a company. So choosing Ruby Rose to be my representative competitor isn't something I can decide on a whim._

Jacque had made sure to double the usual security detail in his company for that day, both as a means of protection if Ruby turned out to be dangerous and to test the girl in question. Someone who is cowed by the sight of a few stuffed shirts doesn't have the courage or presence required to represent someone as powerful as him. However, Ruby hadn't reacted to his men in the slightest. Well, that wasn't quite true, she'd clearly noticed their presence, but her composure made it clear she hadn't considered them a threat. He hadn't said a word to her since they entered, but Ruby's attention remained focused solely on him. That showed Jacque just how serious she was about her request. _As if approaching me in broad daylight after my loss wasn't enough._

"I'm sure you understand, Ruby Rose, that I'll need some confirmation of your strength before I consider having you as my competitor," he intones.

Ruby tilts her head to the side in confusion. "Wouldn't a Kengan match be the best way to show my strength? Just put me in one and then you'll know how strong I am," she tells him.

Jacque's eye twitches and he has to physically stop himself from shouting in anger. _Th-the complete arrogance of this brat! Even the most lowbrow Kengan matches can have many millions on the line! She's asking me to throw all of that away just so she can prove herself to me! Is she just that confident? Or is it plain stupidity? _

Jacque rests his chin in his hands and leans forward. "I'm sorry, miss Rose, but you don't seem to understand-"

"Father, I think we should acquiesce to Ruby Rose's request," Winter declares, interrupting him.

"...Pardon?" Jacque says slowly, as if testing the word on his tongue. Winter had spoken against some of his decisions in the past-the loss that day being a prime example-but she had never done so in front of another person, let alone with such conviction.

"**Jacque Schnee could not comprehend his daughters actions at that time, but the reason for Winter Schnee's inexplicable behavior is rather simple. She… is a fighter! Having studied many different types of self defense when she was younger, Winter had become an adept martial artist by the type she was thirty! At one point, she had even been the Schnee Spice company's representative competitor in the Kengan matches. However, that same woman-Winter Schnee-was being completely overwhelmed by the aura of Ruby Rose! A woman who she had just met, and never seen fight in her life!"**

Winter walked around the desk to stand beside Ruby. Jacque eyes her suspiciously, but even he couldn't stop the shocked expression that came across his face when his own daughter _bowed_ to him. "Forgive me father, I was not trying to be disrespectful. But… I can already tell, even without having seen her in action, that this woman has more than enough strength to represent our company, and make us a feared and powerful force in the Kengan association."

Ruby shuffles awkwardly in her seat. "Um, I appreciate the sentiment, I really do, but don't you think it's kinda early to be dumping that kinda pressure on me?" she suggests with an awkward laugh.

She goes ignored by Jacque. In all of his life, he has never seen Winter say anything with as much certainty as she had this, just now. In the face of that, all logical business sense slowly leaves him like air leaving a balloon. So, for possibly the first life in his entire fifty-seven years of life, he sets aside all of his knowledge and pride, and listens to his daughter. "Do you believe she can beat some of the associations upper echelon?" he has to ask. Even though he may be listening, he's far from agreeing to this outrageous proposal.

Winter stands to her full height and looks him in the eye. "Yes. I do."

Jacque leans back into his chair. "And Metsudo Katahara?"

This makes Winter hesitate-as Jacque expected it would-but eventually, she responds. "Perhaps…"

What else was there to say?

His daughter-who had been one of the only competitors in the Schnee Spice Company's history to claim a victory in the Kengan matches-had assured him that this nineteen year old girl had the strength to give Metsudo Katahara a run for his money. He'd have to be a complete idiot to not put someone as powerful as that as his representative competitor.

Even with his daughters assurances, however, he still wanted to see the kind of power miss Rose was apparently packing.

"...I'll see what I can do," Jacque assures.

Ruby-who had more or less been ignored this entire exchange-lights up with excitement. "Wait, so you mean-!"

"Ruby Rose," Jacque intoned, silencing her immediately. "From now on, you will be our company's representative competitor. I hope you don't disappoint."

Ruby smiles brightly at him. "Don't worry! I'll definitely win whatever fight you have planned for me!"

…

_I can't believe it actually worked out…_

The thought buzzes around Ruby's head like a bee while she lies on her bed. The apartment she's currently living in is-in her mind-the most middle class home anyone could own. Her room was rather spartan, but this was only meant to be a temporary dwelling, so it didn't bother her. Jacque Schnee had placed her in a Kengan match set three days from now, and that left her more than a little nervous.

Not because she expected to lose, of course. Ruby was as sure of her own strength as Winter Schnee seemed to be(hah, rhyme!). She was uneasy because she didn't know what level the Kengan matches were at. From the way Jacque had described them, it seemed like they're the most competitive fighting circuit in all of Japan. That was pretty intense, to say the least. _Well, if that's true anyway._

The problem with not knowing the level of the Kengan matches came with not knowing how much force _she _needed to use. If Ruby overestimated her opponents power and went all out, she would kill them. On the other hand, if she underestimated their power she might lose, and then she'd never be able to find-

Her doorbell rings.

Ruby shoots up instantly, and her eyes narrow. She hadn't been expecting any visitors today, so the sudden arrival left her on edge. Regardless, she dragged herself out of bed and to her living room, where the door leading out of her apartment was. After a little deliberation, Ruby turns the knob and opens the door.

Well, this certainly wasn't what she was expecting.

"Hey, aren't you that crabby girl who was with Jacque?" she asks.

White hair done up in a side tail, crystal blue eyes and a perpetual frown that she only seemed to direct at her. If this wasn't Weiss Schnee, then she hired a damn good lookalike. Unfortunately, the 'crabby girl' didn't seem very pleased with her new moniker. "I'd ask you to refrain from using such childish insults in my presence, Ruby Rose," she demands.

Ruby scratches the back of her head sheepishly. "Whoops, hehe… it just sorta slipped out, sorry," she amends. Weiss doesn't look placated in the slightest. Cringing, Ruby opens the door fully for her and says, "Well, uh, would you like to come in?"

Weiss sighs heavily but relents, stepping into the apartment. Ruby closes the door behind her and follows Weiss to the kitchenette. "Your home is about as pedestrian as I expected," she remarks.

"Well that tends to happen when you're, uh… y'know, a pedestrian," she says, unsure how to respond to such a bizarre statement. "Hey, uh, Weiss. I don't mean to pry when you guys are the ones who sponsored me, but what are you doing here?"

Weiss finally stops inspecting her home and turns to face her. "It might come as a surprise to you, Ruby Rose, but my father saw fit to make me your manager, in the Kengan matches," she informs her. She's right, that _does_ come as a surprise to Ruby, but only because of how young this girl is. She's only a year older than her at twenty.

"Huh… alright then. Did you need me for something, manager?" Ruby asks after a few seconds of silence.

Weiss' eyes narrow, and the atmosphere feels like it drops several degrees. Ruby has felt this type of pressure before, but is surprised to see it coming from someone who, to her knowledge, isn't a fighter. "I want to make something perfectly clear, _miss Rose_. I don't trust you." The declaration hardly comes as a surprise for Ruby, but she has a feeling this girl has more to say.

"You're inexplicable timing and abrupt winning of my sister's favour are simply… too unnatural. I'll admit, I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to this bloodsport, but I do know business. And in the business world, if something seems too good to be true, it definitely is." Weiss takes a breath, and the rooms temperature seems to lift a bit. _Damn, did she write this out on a piece of paper beforehand?_ Ruby can't help but wonder.

"Why do you want to fight in the Kengan matches?" she asks, and this question genuinely surprises Ruby. "There's no reason that a normal person would want to participate in a fight with the possibility of death, so you must have some sort of reason for fighting, _and_ for asking to be our company's representative competitor. If you tell me why that is, then I might have more of a reason to trust you."

Ruby had to admit, she was pretty impressed. She hadn't met a lot of people with this girl's kind of insight. And to have that kind of insight at so young… well, it was pretty damn incredible. _Still… it's not like I can tell her the actual reason._

Ruby sighed and closed her eyes. "I get it, you know. Your company is putting a lot on the line in each of these matches, so they need to be sure of their competitors strength. But, the reason I fight… well, I don't think it should really matter to you."

Weiss sputters in shock. "E-excuse me-?!"

"All your company really needs to know… is my strength," Ruby interrupts. Then, she smiles brightly. "So don't worry about the small stuff so much! I'll show you how strong I am during the match in a few days, and then you'll know you can trust me as your competitor for sure!" she cheered, never once dropping her smile.

Unfortunately, Weiss' temper doesn't seem assuaged by Ruby's words in the slightest. She looks ready to explode at any second, and Ruby prepares herself for a barrage of heated insults. Instead, the woman named Weiss Schnee turns on her heel, and storms out of her apartment without another word shared. The door slams behind her, and Ruby winces at the sound. Now alone in the safety of her apartment, Ruby lets out a heavy sigh.

"Way to go, Ruby. You just pissed off the daughter of your boss."

…

Soon enough, it was time for the Kengan match.

Weiss stood behind her father and sister as they conversed with the opposing company. Roman Torchwick of Torchwick removals was a rather shrewd looking man. His bright orange hair, bowler hat and gaudy white business suit combined with the cigar in his mouth gave off the impression of someone who desperately wanted everyone's attention. He was rather young compared to most of the employees of the Kengan association, who averaged around fifty. She supposed he was rather charming, but the arrogant smirk that seemed a constant fixture on him made him less than appealing to Weiss.

"Well color me impressed, Frosty. It looks like you actually managed to find yourself a halfway decent competitor," he drawled, taking a puff of his cigar. His observations drew Weiss' eyes to said fighter. _Ruby Rose…_ she found the woman completely insufferable. Demanding the Schnee Spice company's complete faith in her, and yet providing nothing in return. But… Winter seemed to believe she was worth the effort, and her father supported that decision, so she held her tongue for now.

"Of course, I know for a fact she can't measure up to my Neo," he continues, placing his hand on top of the short girl's head. Neopolitan was… strange. Her hair and eyes were both two different colors, and the small smile she constantly wore seemed unbefitting of a competitor. She was also Torchwick's adopted daughter, apparently, as Weiss had discovered after a bit of research.

Her father sighed and closed his eyes. "As entertaining as your bards are, I'm afraid that, for today, I'll be claiming the victory," he announced.

Torchwick looked surprised by Jacques announcement. "Well I'll be damned. You must be pretty confident in your fighter, especially considering your reputation around here," he claimed with another smug grin. "Either way, I guess we'll find out in the match." He turns to leave, and Neo takes a second to look at Ruby before mimicking his motion. "See you soon enough, frosty!" Torchwick called with a wave. Weiss knows it's improper for a Schnee to show anger in public, but she can't help glaring at the back of Torchwick as he walks away.

"That girl's pretty strong," Ruby observes, speaking for the first time since they arrived at the venue. The 'venue' being a dilapidated speakeasy which had closed down close to forty years ago.

"Indeed," Winter responds, turning to their representative competitor. "She's been Torchwick Removal's premiere competitor for two years now, and has a Kengan match record of thirty-one wins, zero losses. Her power as a fighter can't be questioned," she informed her.

Ruby whistles lowly. "A thirty-one win streak, huh? This is gonna be rough," she comments.

Jacque turns to her with a critical eye. "Do you mean to say you don't think you can win?" All of Weiss' fears come crashing to the surface. Had she been right all along? Had Ruby been wasting their time? She should've spoken up earlier. Should've told her father that-

"What? No. I meant it'll be pretty rough on her employer when I break it," she tells them with a grin. This one is different to the previous smiles she had shown them, however. Something behind her expression seemed much more… primal. It takes a second for Weiss to place it, but when she does she feels more at ease than a moment ago.

_She's ready to fight._

…

Before long, the match is ready to begin, and the hundred or so Kengan association employees have formed a sizable circle in the middle of the speakeasy. Inside the circle, Ruby and Neo stand opposite each other. They are dressed differently, of course, donning clothes better suited to the bloodsport they were about to engage in. Ruby now wears a loose black tank top and a pair of crimson red athletic shorts. Oddly enough, she still wore the bright red cloak that had been a part of her casual attire.

Stood opposite her, Neo wore a white sports bra and athletic shorts of the same color. A pair of black fingerless gloves adorned her hands. As the competitors stretched and prepared to battle, the Kengan employees loudly conversed between themselves. Father had explained their purpose before to her. They were to record and report the results of the matches, but they also simply enjoyed the spectacle of it all, and liked to place bets on the could hear them exchanging money between hands even now.

"I placed twenty-thousand on Neo. I have a lot to spare and it's a safe bet."

"No kidding. I don't know who the new Schnee competitor is, but considering their record I doubt it'll matter. They really dropped the ball when they removed Winter as a competitor, I would've put some money on her."

"Yeah, but this new girl's kinda cute, isn't she?"

Similar remarks and conversations were being held throughout the venue, but they quickly died down when the referee entered the arena. The referee-a short, fat, bald man-gestured toward Neo. "Fighting for Torchwick Removals, Neopolitan Torchwick! And fighting for the Schnee Spice company, we have, Ruby Rose!" the crowd cheered their approval as the referee continued. "Fighters, take your stance!" he cried, and they did so. Neo crossed one arm over her chest and extended the other forward while shifting her left foot in front.

Ruby, meanwhile, extended her left hand forward by about forty-five degrees while keeping her right close to her face. Her left foot was facing forward as well, but was much less extended than Neo's. "It's a rather compact stance… I imagine miss Rose intends to be on the defensive till she has a better grasp of her opponents skills," Winter commented.

Weiss turns to her. "Winter, do you know what martial art Ruby uses?" she couldn't help but ask.

Winter was noticeably silent. "I'm unsure… but that stance is emblematic of kickboxing."

Jacque takes that opportunity to speak up. "I suppose… we will discover that during the match," he states. Winter nods and Weiss turns her attention back to the match. The referee now stands between the two fighters.

"Ready… and begin!" he shouts, swinging his arm down to signify the start of the match.

Ruby immediately bolts forward, her form becoming an indistinguishable mass of red and black as she closes on Neo. _So fast!_ Weiss thinks, startled. Ruby lunges forward with a right straight which Neo barely catches on her forearm. She too seems surprised by her opponents insane speed, but quickly regains her composure and shifts to the side, turning Ruby's blow askance. This doesn't stop her from continuing her assault, lashing out with her heel. Neo catches Ruby's side kick and turns it to the left, mitigating the damage to herself.

Realizing that she can't keep up with Ruby's blistering speed, Neo takes up the offensive. Her jab is swatted aside by Ruby's offhand, and she dances out of the way of the low kick which Neo had been trying to hide with her punch. She doesn't let up in her rush, throwing out a barrage of punches, kicks and elbows that Ruby evades with a surprising amount of ease. "Neo is a mixed martial artist, meaning her strikes are meant to change at a moment's notice in order to throw off her opponent. The fact that Ruby is able to dodge her blows so easily is a testament to her skill." Winter mentions.

Weiss is inclined to agree, despite her lack of knowledge when it comes to fighting. However, something still seems off to her about Ruby's fighting style. Neo throws a high kick, and Ruby quickly ducks under the blow before countering with a punch to Neo's ribcage. That's when it clicks for her. "Winter," she says, unable to keep quiet. "Why is it that Ruby choses to evade all of Neo's blows instead of blocking? I remember you telling me one time that it's better to block because it uses less energy, so why is she expending all the energy dodging?" she can't help but ask.

Winter seems surprised, but is quick to respond. "You're right… that _is _curious. Perhaps it's a way of inflicting mental damage? I know many fighters would find it discouraging to see all their blows evaded. Still, doing so will only fatigue her in the long run, it's not a smart tactic…"

"I'm not sure what the two of you are getting at," Jacque interrupts, speaking up. "Ruby Rose doesn't look tired in the slightest to me," he comments, and this single statement shifts Weiss' perspective of the match. _He's totally right, Ruby hasn't even broken a sweat. Is her stamina that incredible?_ She wonders.

Neo throws a front kick, and Ruby _moves_.

Much like the start of the match, the woman known as Ruby Rose disappears in a flash of red and black. When she's visible again, Ruby is standing to the side of Neo while the former still has her leg extended. Ruby springs into action, bringing Neo to one knee with a heavy low kick. Before she can think of standing up, Ruby brings her arm down in a vicious elbow that _connects_ with Neo's head. She crumples to her hands and knees, and Weiss feels an unexplainable burst of excitement in her chest.

_Now, finish it! _She thinks, a rare grin chancing upon her face. Ruby brings her fist down in what looks like a brutal straight aimed at the back of her opponents head-!

Neo kicks her in the face.

The sudden shift in momentum is enough to give Weiss whiplash. Neo 'stands' supported entirely by one hand, her right leg extended in a powerful kick. She springs back to her feet with a cheeky smile, and reassumes her stance from the start of the match. Ruby had backed away as soon as Neo's kick had connected with her chin, and the smallest stream of blood now dribbles from her mouth.

She takes the time to wipe it away with one hand, before taking a stance again. "That sure as hell wasn't like any MMA strike I've seen before," she comments with a surprising amount of calm. "I'm guessing we're both pretty unorthodox fighters, then."

Neo-being a mute; another thing Weiss had found out through her research-simply smiled. "This is where Neo's true strength lies," Winter comments, observing the match with surgical precision. "She isn't just a skilled MMA fighter, she's also an excellent gymnast. Neo uses her acrobatic prowess to attack her opponents with irregular strikes, which are hard to defend against. From here on out, Ruby's abilities will be put to the test."

Weiss takes in her sisters words, and turns to Ruby. _Can she really hope to keep up with something like that?_ The fight up to this point had been fairly even, with Ruby only taking control of the match at the very end. Now that Neo was taking this seriously, who knew how she would hold up?

No more words were exchanged before the fight continued. Neo took the initiative this time, charging in and throwing a jab-cross combo. Ruby evades both but is left unprepared when Neo abruptly throws herself into a backhand spring, kicking with both legs. Ruby swerves out of the way of both, but it's close. But Neo isn't done yet, from her unnatural position, she pushes off her hands and throws her body forward in an improvised dropkick. Weiss winces as she imagines that connecting with Ruby.

Neo's blow hits nothing but air.

Weiss is left in shock along with much of the crowd when Ruby appears _above _Neo. With an acrobatic twirl, she _unleashes_ with her heel and slams it into Neo's solar plexus. The mute girl is left in complete disbelief as she comes crashing to the ground. Ruby makes to attack her downed opponent, but she has enough sense to roll out of the way. Ruby's hand strikes the concrete and splinters it, and Weiss is left in awe at the girl's power.

"Unpredictable strikes are the basis for all techniques in the Rose style. I'm more than prepared to defend against them," Ruby declares, returning to her fighting stance. Then, she smiles, that same bright smile Weiss had seen her use multiple times now. "That being said, you're pretty incredible! I don't know a lot of people who would've been able to react as fast as you did after taking a blow like that."

Neo, unable to respond, simply grimaced and rose to her feet. She takes a deep breath before settling into a stance herself. This one is different from the one she'd been using before. Her right foot isn't extended as much and she stands on her toes instead of flatfooted. On top of that, her hand placement is reflective of Ruby's. Ruby herself is still smiling throughout all of this.

"Alright, I'm gonna take it up a notch, though. Can you keep up?" she asks rhetorically. And one more time, Ruby _moves_. Weiss isn't sure where her incredible speed comes from, but she can somehow instinctively tell that when Ruby becomes a blur of red and black, that this is a technique of her 'Rose style'. She shoots forward like a bullet and looks to be throwing another straight, but just before she reaches Neo, something changes. Ruby abruptly abandons her punch and leaps forward, staying low to the ground. With a spin, she launches a rolling kick in midair. Neo, clearly unprepared for so unorthodox an attack, eats it and staggers back.

Ruby doesn't let up for a second, slapping her hands down and twirling to her feet. She brings her leg around, aiming to sweep Neo's leg, but by now she's recovered and dodges. Using her signature acrobatic combat, she leaps into an aerial before lashing out with her heel. The kick aimed for Ruby's head is dodged when she throws herself onto one hand and kicks from her upside down position, much like Neo had not too long ago. She catches Ruby's blow on her forearms and jumps back.

This time, Ruby doesn't give her any time to recover and rushes forward. Her fist crashes against Neo's jaw, and a spurt of blood comes with it. Neo, surprising Ruby and much of the audience, takes hold of Ruby's wrist and drags her forward. Neo stares intently into the eyes of her opponent, and…

Doesn't do anything else. Ruby, having recovered quickly, rams an elbow into her sternum. She follows up with a left cross, but… punches to the side of Neo's head. "What…? Did she miss?" Weiss couldn't stop herself asking, totally bewildered. Neo quickly takes back the flow of the match, hitting Ruby with a punishing knee before driving her elbow into her face. Ruby staggers back and falls to one knee, before quickly leaping back and rising to a stand.

"What the hell…?" Ruby exhales, echoing the thoughts of Weiss. Blood drips from her nose like a leaking faucet, and her breathing is labored.

"I don't understand. Ruby was in control of the match just a second ago, what changed? Why did she miss?" Weiss asks, unable to hide her frustrations.

"She didn't miss," Winter cuts in. She turns to her sister, about to voice her objections, but Winter continues before she can. "Or at least, she _thinks_ she didn't. Everything about that punch, from the way it was thrown to her follow through, was done as if she had just made contact with Neo's jaw. In Ruby's mind, there was no question that her attack had hit her. So the question is, what did Neo do to distort Ruby's mind like that?"

Weiss looks back to the fight. _Distort her mind? When could Neo have done that, and how?_ As soon as she thinks to ask the question, the answer comes to her. "It must've been right _then_," she exclaims, surprising her father and sister. "When Neo pulled Ruby close and stared at her, _that's_ when she distorted her mind." Jacque narrows his eyes after Weiss' realization, turning his gaze towards Neo's employer. Roman Torchwick stands near the back of the arena, leaning against a wall, the biggest grin plastered on his face.

" **Heterochromia iridum** **is a genetic disorder where one's pupils appear to be two different colors. It is an incredibly rare disorder and typically does not have any extranaive effects on the person who suffers from it. The exception to this being Neo herself, of course! By taking advantage of the human brain's subconscious desire to associate colors with emotions, Neo has been able to turn her** **heterochromia into a weapon! By using the reflective properties of light, Neo makes her opponents mind perceive her in a way that is not consistent with reality. While her enemies are busy attacking this false Neo, she evades and counters them in reality! This is the ability that has made Neo so dangerous, her 'Mirrored Image'!"**

Neo smirked before nonchalantly walking toward Ruby. Halfway, she abruptly drops down and goes for a tackle. Ruby throws a high kick, a move that confuses everyone watching. Neo stands back up and-with a movement that looks almost lazy-sweeps Ruby's leg, sending her crashing to the ground. In a deliberate motion, Neo brings her leg up above her head, before striking down at Ruby's head. "Watch out, Ruby!" Weiss cries, and is immediately shocked that the words left her mouth in the first place.

Ruby _moves,_ disappearing in a flash of red and appearing a few feet away in a stand. Neo, completely unconcerned, casually walks toward her opponent. Her guard is completely down, and the wide smirk on her face shows just how certain she is Ruby won't be able to hit her. _How arrogant is she?!_ Weiss growls. Neo steps within Ruby's striking range, still unconcerned for her own safety.

She's kicked in the face.

Ruby drops her foot before launching into a blistering rush. Neo, who is still trying to comprehend the fact that Ruby just _hit her_, only blocks some of her opponents rapid attacks. "I've figured it out," she tells Neo in between her attacks. "I understand how your little trick works now, so you better change up your strategy."

Neo's eyes widen as Ruby drives her fist into her stomach. Blood leaks from her mouth as she is pushed back. She retaliates with a sidekick, but Ruby flips over it and lashes out. Her kick strikes Neo in the jaw and sends the already shaken fighter reeling back. Instead of continuing her assault, Ruby draws back, standing to her full height.

...Which might've been more intimidating if she wasn't 5'2.

"I can tell from your face that you're pretty confused, so I'll explain it to you," Ruby tells her. "It's actually pretty simple. For your technique to work, you need me to look into your eyes, am I right?" Judging by Neo's horrified expression, she was. Ruby chuckles, "Exactly, so as long as I don't look at your eyes, I can fight you just fine. And your shoulders and hips tell me more than enough to defend against your attacks." Ruby takes a stance again, but this one is lower than her previous ones. "Anyway, I think it's about time I ended this. I'm sorry about this, I don't really wanna hurt you…" she says, and Weiss is surprised by how somber her expression is. _D-does she mean what she says? How can a fighter as strong as her not have any taste for violence?_ It was a bizarre contradiction, but before Weiss could think on it any more Ruby _moves._

This next rush of speed is _much_ faster than anything she's demonstrated before. The red and black blur that is Ruby Rose dashes all around the arena and her opponent. On occasion, she'll strike out at Neo. A punch to the gut, a kick to the knee, never in the same place twice and all the while maintaining her blistering speed. "H-how the hell can anyone move that fast? She can't be human…"

"No, it _is _possible," Winter corrects, watching the match with an intense gaze. "There's a method of running where the person 'rolls' their foot with each stride made. Starting at the heel, then moving through arch and balls before ending with the toes. It allows normal humans to run at speeds of up to forty kilometers per hour with virtually no loss in stamina. However, it's incredibly difficult to maintain for an extended period. Ruby's ability to do so must be a part of her 'Rose style'."

_Could that be true? That's completely insane! _Weiss thinks. But then again, was it? She was seeing it happen right before her eyes, wasn't she? Ruby appeared in full once again, kicking Neo in the chin before disappearing in a flash of red. Neo staggers back, unable to even bring up her guard. "This is the end!" Ruby shouts. All at once, the flashing stops and Ruby appears in front of her opponent. 'Standing' on her hands, legs wrapped around Neo's throat. In an incredible display of grappling _and_ acrobatics, Ruby _throws_ Neo over her with a back handspring and _smashes_ her limp body into the concrete. Now sitting across the chest of her unconscious opponent, she lets out a breath.

"Take a nice, long rest now. You've earned it," Ruby comments, bringing herself to a shaky stand.

The referee-who remained mostly dormant during the match-now steps forward. "Match, over! Winner… Ruby Rose!" he declares. For a few seconds, the entire venue is silent. As if they have to process the events that had just transpired before them.

Then, everyone explodes.

"Incredible!"

"I've never seen anyone move that fast!"

"She beat _Neo?! _How strong is this girl!?"

Similar sentiments are passed all throughout the crowd, and Weiss is surprised to find she agrees with most of them. _She told me I would trust in her strength after this match, and… I think I do. After that display, I don't think anyone can argue Ruby Rose has the strength to represent the Schnee Spice Company._

As if reading her thoughts, Ruby turns to Weiss, Winter and Jacque, a bright smile on her face. "So, can I be your representative competitor for good now?"

**A.N: That wasn't anywhere near the longest chapter I've written, but it certainly felt like it. Anyway, I'm glad to welcome all of you to The Kengan Reaper! If you couldn't tell, it's a crossover between Kengan Ashura and RWBY. I'm pretty excited about this project, even though I admit some of the segments here feel pretty janky. Like, I think they're all good individually, but together… bleh. Anyways I've had this idea rolling around in my head for about two months now so I'd thought I'd just go for it. And if any Kengan fans are reading it I promise I'll get to that side of this story soon enough. I wanted to actually blend both of these worlds and not just make it 'Kengan Ashura but with RWBY characters'. Regardless I think this is a strong start, especially that fight at the end. I think it might just be the best fight scene I've ever written. **


	2. Cresent Rose

**The Kengan Reaper Chapter 2: This Crappy Writer is Way Too Strong!**

"Hahaha! What a truly incredible day it has been!" Jacque Schnee cheered, raising a bottle of sake in the air high above his head.

Ruby Rose has never felt more uncomfortable in her entire life.

Almost immediately after she had won her match against Neo, Jacque-in the best mood Ruby had ever seen him in-had excitedly dragged her and his daughters to a ridiculously upscale bar to celebrate. _I knew that his company didn't have the best reputation in the Kengan association-it's the whole reason I came to him, after all-but it one win seriously such a big deal to him?_

"Father, please try to restrain yourself. You're making a scene," Winter advises, somehow managing to maintain a straight face. Ruby isn't sure what she's worried about. As soon as Jacque had requested a table the owner had escorted them to a private booth guarded by two beefy men in suits. If there was any place Jacque Schnee could afford to let his guard down, it was here.

"You seem to be in a pretty good mood, mister Schnee," Ruby comments awkwardly.

Jacque laughs heartily and throws an arm around her shoulder. While Ruby is contemplating whether she should break it he speaks. "Why yes of course! This victory is a big step for the Schnee Spice company. A victory against someone with as much renown as Roman Torchwick is sure to make waves across the Kengan Association! And it's all thanks to you, my dear. After that display… well I can't believe I ever doubted my decision to make you our competitor!" He pauses, and an awkward silence ensues.

"Um… mister Schnee-?"

"Oh! Please excuse my boasting. I didn't mean to undermine your efforts in the Kengan matches, Winter," Jacque exclaims, completely ignoring Ruby.

"It's no trouble, father," Winter says, with the same no-nonsense expression she always has.

"Hold on a second. You fought in the Kengan matches too, Winter? I didn't know that," Ruby pipes up.

Unfortunately, this brings Jacque's attention back to her. "Ah, but it's the truth! You see, we were in a pretty bad spot with the Kengan association about a year ago. I didn't want to lose our membership, so I decided to have Winter be my representative competitor. It ended up being a great decision! But of course, I'm full of them," he says with the kind of confidence only a drunk can have. Even still, Ruby finds this intriguing. _Is that why she could tell I know how to fight when we first met? _

"My Kengan match record is nine wins, zero losses," Winter suddenly announces. When Ruby looks at her in surprise, she says, "I could tell you were about to ask."

Ruby chuckles. "Hehe… well, my mom always told me I was pretty easy to read." Before she can think to say anything else, Jacque pulls her into him. Ruby's eyes widened in alarm. _Is this what he's like when his guard is down?! I almost prefer him when he's an ice cold businessman._

"But I'm truly quite grateful to you, Ruby," he slurs. "With your strength, the Schnee Spice company can rise to incredible new heights!" he cheered, raising his glass once more. "Let's ride this wave all the way to the top! Winter, find us another Kengan match ASAP! It's time we announce our strength to the world!" he cries. Throughout all of this, Ruby can only chuckle lowly and pray for it to end soon.

Winter sighs. "Of course, father. But I must ask you to restrain yourself again. You're scaring our competitor," she states matter of factly.

Jacque pays her no mind. "Bah! Please Winter, I can tell Miss Rose is just as ecstatic as I am! Hahaha!"

Ruby cringes as some sake splashes onto her shirt. _What have I gotten myself into with these guys?_

…

Winter was as good as her word, and six days later Ruby found herself in another Kengan match. The venue this time was a closed restaurant, and the Schnee family was going up against a different business mogul. Arthur Watts of the Watts electric company was a disciplined looking man who wore a blue suit. He had close cropped black hair and a mustache that made him look like a cartoon character when he smiled.

"I appreciate you agreeing to this on such short notice," Jacque said with a composed wave of his hand.

Watts smiles curtly at him. "It wasn't an issue. I'm the one who's been waiting for you challenge, after all," he remarks coyly.

"He sure bounced back fast," Ruby grumbled under her breath.

"It's not as odd as you would think. Father has made it clear to me and my sister that we're always to present ourselves with splendor and authority in public, and he holds himself to the same standard," Weiss informs her in a whisper.

Ruby quirks an eyebrow at this. _Why's she suddenly feeling so sociable?_ Knowing better than to voice those thoughts, she instead asks something else that'd been on her mind. "Is that why Winter doesn't fight as your representative competitor anymore?"

Weiss side eyes her sister. "...Yes. Father thought having his daughter 'fight with the street raval' set a bad image for the company, so he quickly suspended her as a competitor," she explained, and Ruby is surprised to hear the slightest hint of somberness to her tone.

"Hm…" She isn't sure how she's supposed to respond to that. She didn't know them well enough to but in on something like this. For all she knew, Winter was glad she didn't have to fight anymore. With nothing else to say between them, Ruby's attention is drawn back to Jacque and Watts.

"I see your victory over Torchwick has made you more confident. I can still remember a time when you went out of your way to avoid facing me in the Kengan matches," Watts remarks, his tone condescending. His gaze looks onto her. "And you must be the one who led them to such a victory. Ruby Rose, was it? You have an incredible aura, to say the least. I can see why Jacque would intrust his company's interest to you. Of course… I don't intend to lose this"

Jacque speaks up before Ruby can retort. "Many things can change with time, Watts. You'd do well to remember that," he tells her. And if looks could kill, hoo boy…

Watts seems just as taken aback by Jacques intensity. "...Of course," he says. After that he turns around and marches off, leaving the four of them alone. It's around this time that Ruby realizes she hasn't seen Watts competitor.

She voices these concerns, and Winter turns to regard her. "The name of the man you'll be fighting today is Tokuno'o Tokumichi, though he's typically referred to as Nitoku. He's an incredible fighter, and his style is sambo."

"Sambo? I've never heard of that style," Ruby comments, tilting her head to the side.

"It's a martial art that originated in Russia. It shares a lot in common with jiu-jitsu and judo. However, sambo is a 'hard' martial art, making it's execution much different to the 'soft' martial art of judo," Winter explains.

Ruby's eyes narrow. "So he's specialized in grapples, huh? That's kind of a pain," she lets out a sigh. "Hey Winter, what's this guys Kengan match record?"

"He currently has a record of six wins, zero losses."

"Really? I guess he must be pretty new."

"He's actually been an active competitor for about three years now," Jacque interjects, finally speaking up. Upon seeing Ruby's look of confusion, he elaborates. "He has long stretches of inactivity between his fights. He'll also suddenly announce his retirement, only to return to the Kengan matches a few months later," he explains.

"That's… weird," Ruby remarks, unsure how else to respond.

Weiss decides to take this moment to speak up. "That's because Nitoku doesn't consider fighting his 'true calling'. He's actually a published author with multiple novels, but he publishes under the alias Nitoku Onomichi."

Ruby brightens. "Oh, so that's where they got Nitoku from."

"Why is _that_ what you focus on," Weiss grumbles before shaking her head. "Regardless of his oddities, he's an incredibly strong opponent. You'd better not take him lightly and lose this," she demands, sticking an accusatory finger at Ruby.

She just chuckles in response. "C'mon, have a little more faith in me than that. I don't plan on losing to anyone, y'know?" she says placatingly.

Jacque looks up from his watch with a critical eye. "The match will be starting soon. Ruby, you should go get prepared," he tells her.

She simply nods in return. "Right."

…

Tokuno'o Tokumichi certainly fits the 'struggling artist' persona he sells himself as.

His hair is messy and unkempt, and the grimy stubble that adorns his chin makes it clear he hasn't shaved in awhile. The plain black robe he wears looks more like what one would wear to sleep than fight, but despite all this he manages to cut an intimidating figure. His musculature is clear as day, and the confident way he carries himself shows how unafraid he is at the idea of fighting someone to the death.

Ruby stands opposite him, dressed in the same tank top, shorts and ever present cloak she'd worn during her fight with Neo. A neutral smile adorns her face, and she seems as nonchalant about the fight as Nitoku. Weiss watches them from a safe distance with her sister and father. The Kengan association employee's have already arrived ahead of time, and it isn't long before the referee steps between the two of them.

"Fighter's, at the ready!" he roars in a stern, commanding tone. Nitoku drops low and puts his hands forward, a stance typical of sambo. Ruby, surprisingly, takes a low stance as well. She raises one hand above her head and extends the other forward, her left foot in front and right poised to dash forward.

Winter's ever critical gaze analyzes this. "Ruby must be wary of Nitoku's holds. She'll try to overwhelm him with her speed," she tells them. Weiss 'hmms' in agreement and looks over at their representative competitor. _Ruby… I can tell Nitoku is unlike those you've faced before. If you let your guard down for a second, it's likely to cost you the match. So please, be careful. And don't you dare lose this._

The referee looks between the two combatants before raising his arm high. "Begin!" he calls, swinging his arm down.

Surprisingly, it's not Ruby who takes the initiative.

Nitoku steps forward with an outside roundhouse kick, and Ruby swerves out of the way. Without stopping for a second, he transitions to a combination of punches that Ruby dances around with her masterful evasion. Nitoku keeps on the pressure, attacking restlessly and not giving Ruby a chance to retaliate.

Winter sighs abruptly. "I should've known…" she mumbles.

"Is something wrong, Winter?" Weiss asks, looking up at her sister.

"It's clear now that Ruby's victory over Neo made waves in the Kengan association. I don't doubt that those present for the fight spoke of it to others. That must be why Nitoku is so intent on keeping Ruby on the defensive. He must've heard about her insane speed from somebody else, and he's planning his strategy around that."

Returning her attention to the match, it's clear Winter's observation is spot on. Nitoku's rush doesn't let up for a second, but he's not just mindlessly swinging. His attacks are tight and centered, meant to limit Ruby's movement options as well as keeping her on the defensive. Ruby grits her teeth and 'tsks', having caught on to Nitoku's plan as well. Suddenly, Ruby steps forward. Her foot slaps on top of Nitoku's own, and the older man lets out a surprised "Hm?"

_Nice move!_ Weiss cheers internally, a small smile working its way on her face. Ruby leans forward and lets loose an uppercut. Nitoku leans out of the way in a move Weiss can only describe as 'Ruby-like'. She's quick to remove her foot from Nitoku's when he reaches to grab it, and counters with a kick to the jaw. He stumbles back but catches Ruby's follow up on his forearm.

"Oh? Contrary to your appearance, your hits actually pack quite a punch," Nitoku observes, leaning out of the way of Ruby's punch and grabbing her wrist. He twists' it to the side and places his other hand on Ruby's elbow, putting her in the beginnings of a submission hold. "What's the matter? Can't you 'speed' out of this?" he asks, a playful lilt to his tone.

"You sure like to talk, Tokuno'o Tokumichi," Ruby observes, bringing her leg around and tripping her opponent. She spins and strikes with her free hand in a punch that likely fractures Nitoku's nose, if the blood is any indication. He has to let go of Ruby's arm to block her second punch. By the time she throws a third he's back on his feet and standing. "But that's okay, I like to talk too!" Ruby exclaims, a pleasant smile on her face. "When did you start practicing sambo? I gotta assume it's pretty young with how sharp your moves are."

"Is she… _seriously_ trying to start a conversation in the middle of a fight?" Jacque exhales, exasperated. Weiss can't help but find herself agreeing as she continues to watch.

"No, I actually started my martial arts career rather late. I was twenty when I first discovered sambo," Nitoku replies, throwing out a kick that Ruby backs away from.

"_And he's going along with it?!_"

Weiss can't stop the blank look that appears on her face at this. The two are trading blows in what amounts to a 'strikers deadlock'. Ruby will throw some blows only for Nitoku to lash out with a counter and-albeit briefly-take control of the match. All the while they are commenting on each other's form, offense, and defense.

"This is… absurd," Weiss remarks, unable to find a better way to put it. "Can this even be called a fight…?"

"Don't be fooled, Weiss. They aren't just doing this out of amusement. No… it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say both of them are putting everything on the line right now," Winter declares, her eyes narrowed. "The 'talking' is being used as a strategy by the two of them."

"What on earth are you talking about, Winter?" Jacque asks demandingly.

"Haven't you noticed, father. Neither one's form is crumbling," she states, staring intently at the two combatants still trading blows. "During a fight, there is always bound to be a moment when your opponent slips up, overextends, or otherwise puts themselves in a state of disadvantage that another can capitalize on. But neither of them are 'giving that inch' right now. That's why they're trying to throw the other off by talking." Winter pauses, and narrows her eyes. "Though… I imagine Ruby is the one most desperate for the tactics' success."

Weiss is confused. "What do you mean?"

Winter is silent for a second. "I'm sure you've noticed it as well, but Ruby hasn't used her incredible speed yet. Why do you think that is?" she asks, but Weiss get's the feeling it isn't a question. "I think it's because she can't."

"She can't?"

Winter nods. "During her match with Neo, Ruby could only use her speed after gaining a certain amount of distance. Even when she did it at a relatively close range, it was only for a moment. Nitoku isn't giving her that distance. In fact, I wouldn't be remiss to say he's had control over the flow of the match since the very beginning," she concludes.

Weiss looks back to the arena, where Ruby and Nitoku are trading words and blows. If she looks closely at Ruby's face, she can see the slightest amount of concern in her eyes. Weiss' pulls a frown. _Ruby… I know you can take back control of this match. Just hold out until you find that opening._

Ruby throws a front kick, and Nitoku springs into action.

He steps forward, past Ruby's kick, and hooks an arm around her neck. His other arm reaches under Ruby's and his hands meet in the middle, clasping together in an iron grip. He takes another step forward, past his opponent, and uses his strength and leverage to throw her off her feet. Ruby is midair now, eyes wide in shock as Nitoku makes to slam her into the tile floor. But before he can go any further, Ruby _moves_.

Her free hand jams into Nitoku's grip, tearing it open and freeing Ruby. Then, from her midair position, she brings one leg up to wrap around his head, his neck now squeezed between her calf and thigh. From that stranglehold, she swings onto Nitoku's back and grabs his right arm, pulling it back until his joints start to pop. All of this happens in the span of a second, and when they meet the floor, it is Tokuno'o Tokumichi who finds himself on the bottom instead of Ruby.

"Did you really think I was _that_ unaware of my own weaknesses?" Ruby asks, a pleasant smile on her face. "For a fighter like me, who relies so much on their speed, grappling and submission holds are the bain of my existence. If I get caught in a single submission hold, I'd lose in an instant, but that's why I've done groundwork to death." She pauses to tighten her grip, and pulls Nitoku's arm back until the older man groans in pain. "Do you get it? Your techniques won't work on me. Any hold you try to put me in I can get out of!" she shouts confidently.

"Yes Ruby! That's the way!" Weiss cheers, unable to contain her excitement. For once, her father doesn't reprimand her, as invested in the match as she is.

She makes to pull his arm back even more, possibly enough to break it, but Nitoku's grunts of pain suddenly cease. "And to think you didn't assume the same was true for me." He slams his free hand down and pushes, shifting his body and kicking up in the same motion. Ruby's hold is broken in an instant, and she doesn't have time to block or dodge before she eats Nitoku's kick. Immediately she's thrown onto her back, but she quickly rolls to her feet and retreats.

"It doesn't matter! Now that I've gained some distance, this fight is mine!" she cries. And now, Ruby _moves_ like usual. Uninhibited by Nitoku's pressure, she can move like she means to. Just like the fight with Neo, Ruby becomes a blur dashing about the arena. "This is the simplest kata of the Rose style, _Rose style: Petal Dance_!" she cries, for once sounding like the warrior she never presents herself as.

"_**Rose Style: Petal Dance**_ **is the basis for all techniques in the Rose style. Ruby uses her specialize running technique, to reach speeds humans could never hope to achieve normally! Once this insane speed is achieved, Ruby uses her own specialized method of foot shuffling-where a compact ball of oxygen is captured between the toes and heel of the foot, then explodes when she takes another stride!-to change her trajectory at a moment's notice without any loss in speed or stamina! After this, Ruby strikes her opponent's at impossible angles, until they are brought down. Due to the unpredictability of her attacks, they are incredibly hard to defend against! This is what makes the **_**Rose Style: Petal Dance**_ **so deadly! And Ruby Rose has mastered this technique of the Rose style!"**

As Weiss continues to watch Ruby dart around the arena, she has a curious thought. "I've… never seen Ruby like this. Even during her match with Neo, she didn't seem very invested. To see her howling like an animal now… well, it's strange," she voices.

"Miss Rose has likely realized the strength of her opponent by now," Jacque said. "Tokuno'o Tokumichi… in spite of all his oddities, and barbaric nature of career, his strength cannot be questioned. I wouldn't be lying to say his abilities are enough to challenge the Fang of Metsudo."

Winter nods, her face frozen in stoic observation. "Indeed. This fight will be the biggest amalgamation of Ruby's abilities as a fighter. If she can't win here, then… well, it'll look bad for the company either way," she postures, fidgeting oddly.

Ruby strikes at Nitoku from every angle imaginable. Scoring blows on his back, shoulders and legs. However, she is unable to break through his guard to strike at his face. Nitoku weathers it all, keeping his hands in front of his head and neck to keep those arena's safe from assault. Ruby, realizing her strategy isn't effective, drops in front of Nitoku and charges forward at full speed. Her frontal assault is led with a right straight.

Ruby's solar plexus is struck with an elbow.

In the instant before Ruby struck him, Nitoku had sprung into action. Stepping forward to meet his rushing opponent, he'd grabbed Ruby's wrist and threw his elbow out, sending her crashing into it at full speed. Ruby hacks up a frightening amount of blood, but Nitoku isn't done yet. Using Ruby's wrist as an anchorpoint, he jumps and throws himself forward. He holds her right arm between his, and his legs are constricted around Ruby's waist and neck. They crash to the ground, and Ruby finds herself in a brutal looking cross arm breaker.

"Foresight is a nifty little tool, isn't it? I could tell you were going to attack from the front based on your movements. After that, it was just a matter of predicting how you would attack me and, well… you can see the results for yourself," he explained, the same playful lilt to her voice.

"**Foresight is the fighting phenomenon where one can anticipate and predict their opponents moves based on small indicators like hip movement and shoulder rolls. Tokuno'o Tokumichi, being an experienced fighter, has of course become adept with using foresight himself!"**

Winter sighs in defeat. "This match is over. I've never seen a single person who can match Nitoku in hard submissions. Ruby put up a good fight, and no one can doubt she's incredibly strong, but it's over now."

Weiss looks up at her sister, her eyes full of disbelief. _C-can it really be over that quickly? Ruby's really going to lose because of one attack?_

In a move that surprises Weiss, Winter, Jacque, and likely much of the audience, Ruby grunts in effort and places both her legs against Nitoku's. The formers eyes widen as she begins to pry them apart. "I told you… ngh… that won't work on me!" she roars, breaking Nitoku's hold and tearing her arm free. She tries to back away, but he's not giving her any ground, sweeping her leg and sending her onto her back with a palm-hand strike to the sternum. Not wasting a second, he climbs on top of his younger opponent and sits across her waist, pinning her.

_Not good! He's mounted her!_ Weiss shrieks internally. Nitoku isn't playing around, unleashing a flurry of punches on his pinned adversary. Ruby stills manages to evade most of them, but the ones that do land connect _hard_, and Weiss can't even begin to imagine how dizzying that must be for Ruby. She winces with even punch thrown, and Ruby's teeth are grit as she does her best to defend.

"Do you still plan to continue?" he asks. At Ruby's silence, he 'hmphs', "Alright then, this'll make a good story…" He brings his hand up once more, and Ruby's expression tightens.

"Haah!" she cries desperately, striking forward.

Blood spurts from Nitoku's chest.

His eyes widen and he abruptly leaps back, resting a hand on the new cut on his chest. _Th-that looks like a wound from a blade! How the hell did Ruby make such a wound with a punch?! _Weiss looks over to Ruby, still flat on her back. Her elbow is extended above her, Nitoku's blood dripping down her arm.

Ruby leaps to her feet, her face schooled into an expression of indifference. Her stance now is unlike anything she'd presented before. Her leg is brought up before her, poised to strike. Both her hands are open, and she holds one low and to the front of her, the other above and behind. "I'm sorry," she exhales, and Weiss cringes at how weak her voice sounds. "I don't like to use this technique, because it's cruel, but I can't let myself lose to anyone before I find her," she explains, and Weiss gets the strangest feeling Ruby has forgotten there's an audience around her. Her eyes narrow and her expression hardens. "Rose style lethal offensive technique: Crescent Rose."

Nitoku removes his hand from his wound and settles into his stance from the beginning of the match. "Lethal? Then you're coming at me with the intent to kill? If that's the case, I don't intend to show any mercy," Nitoku replies. Ruby frowns but otherwise doesn't respond.

Weiss suddenly finds it impossible to move. _T-this pressure. I feel like I'm watching two Oni clash with each other. I-I can hardly breath. This is insane! Does Ruby really plan on… killing him? There's no way. Ruby isn't a killer, right?_ The fact that she didn't know bothered Weiss immensility. Before she has any more time to consider it, Nitoku acts.

He steps forward and fires out a right straight. Ruby, in a surprising move, steps into her opponents guard while dodging the strike. Her elbow arcs up, grazing past Nitoku's joint. A line of blood is drawn where Ruby's elbow touched as a cut is formed. The crimson fluid stains her hair, but her face is set in stone. Nitoku pulls his right hand back and unleashes a flurry of blows with his left. Ruby swerves out of the way of each before swinging her elbow, tearing the flesh of her opponents forearm. Nitoku makes to retreat, but Ruby throws out a sidekick to stop him. He catches her foot, and-!

Blood erupts from his hand.

Nitoku releases Ruby's foot with a grunt of pain and jumps back. "So you can use that move with your feet as well? Interesting…" he comments. Ruby, again, doesn't say anything back. Nitoku frowns and drops back into his stance. Ruby waste no time in attacking, kicking forward with blistering speed.

Nitoku, taking a note from Ruby's book, dodges the strike instead of blocking it. Her foot still grazes his cheek, drawing a line of blood. He counters with a low kick, and Ruby is brought to one knee. Nitoku makes to grab her wrists, but she _moves_. All of the sudden, Ruby is midair and using her legs to break Nitoku's guard open. Blood spills from his wrists, but the sight of it has long grown numb to Weiss. _Ruby… do you really plan on killing him? _The thought pervades her mind like an awful sickness.

Ruby catches herself on her hands and flips to her feet. She dashes forward, and Nitoku throws out a panicked punch. She evades it, and in an acrobatic display, handlessly cartwheels over the sweeping sidekick that follows. Ruby hits the ground low and immediately springs into action. Her elbow cuts a line across this inside of Nitoku's knee. "Shit-!"

"She got the tendon!" Winter cries over Nitoku as the older man falls to one knee. He breathes heavily, and now no longer bothers to bring his guard up. "I can't believe it… Nitoku's wordlessly conceded this match to Ruby…" she murmurs. Ruby, covered in blood that-mostly-doesn't belong to her, stands over Nitoku with an impassive expression on her face. She draws a fist back, poised to strike, and Weiss fears the worst.

"Haah!" she roars as she swings down.

"Ruby, don't!" Weiss shrieks.

Her fist impacts the back of Nitoku's head and sends him face first into the ground. He remains there, unconscious but alive. Ruby looks up, and the bright smile Weiss has come to expect of her is plastered on her face. "I'm… not… a killer," she pants out between breaths. She knows it's entirely inpromper for a Schnee, but Weiss smiles. _Ruby Rose… you're not at all what I'd expected from a Kengan fighter. In fact, I've never met anyone like you in my entire life, but I'm certain now that there isn't a single person better suited to be the Schnee Spice company's representative competitor._

And then Ruby falls to one knee, hacking up blood.

"Ruby!" Weiss cries, briefly forgetting every single lesson her father had tried to teach her about proper behavior and rushing to her side. She makes to help Ruby up, but the girl holds out a hand to stop her.

"D-don't worry, Weiss. I'm fine. I just… need a second," she doesn't do her words any justice when she coughs up another spurt of blood. "Goddamn, that guy hits like a truck," Ruby groans, pulling herself to a stand. Weiss is still concerned, but she can't help if Ruby won't let her. The referee announces Ruby's victory, and Weiss is surprised to see her father and Watts step into the arena. They meet each other in the middle, and Weiss is left in total confusion when they shake hands.

"Congratulations, Jacque. I'll admit, I didn't expect to lose, but the Kengan match results are absolute. This victory goes to you."

"That's all well and good. Regarding your proposition, however…" Jacque led off, but Weiss was familiar with the look in his eyes. Her father was hungry for something, and he wasn't about to be denied by Watts.

Watts himselfs chuckles. "You needn't be worried; I am a man of my word, after all. As per your request, in the event of a Kengan annihilation tournament, the Watts electric company will join in earnest," he declares, shocking Weiss to a standstill. "And, should we win… we will name you, Jacque Schnee, the Kengan association president!"

_P-president!? What is he talking about? _Weiss wonders. _Was the whole point of this match just to ensure Watts' loyalty to the Schnee family?! That's insane! B-but there's no reason to take such a risk right now! I don't have any doubts that if we had lost this match, it would be us swearing our loyalty to Watts. So why!? Unless…_

Jacque and Watts share a devilish smirk. "If all goes accordingly, that will be rather soon," Jacque postures.

"Yes. Including his recent victory over Yoshitake, that's forty nine in a row now. Nogi is almost certain to make a move soon," Watts agrees. Weiss looks to Winter, but her sister's expression is impassive as ever.

_Something big is going to happen soon, isn't it? And it seems father fully intends to have the Schnee Spice company enter… but what'll that mean for Ruby?_ she can't help but wonder. She would be lying if she said Ruby hadn't grown on her, but right now that same woman was struggling to stay standing. Even though she had won, it was clear her victory hadn't been easy on her body. If she had to go against even stronger fighters, then… _I just don't know_.

And that scared her.

That's when Ruby places a hand on her shoulder. Weiss turns to face her, and Ruby is smiling… completely carefree. "Hey Weiss, I've never been to a ramen bar before. Why don't we go to one as a celebration?"

Weiss is taken aback, but then she laughs. She laughs long and loud, surprising everyone present and likely earning her a scolding from father in the future, but she can't help it. How else is she supposed to react to such a bizarre request. _Ruby, even injured and caked in the blood of the man you just beat, you're asking me to treat you._

When she's finally able to bring herself under control, she smiles at the woman she's quickly coming to think of as a friend. "Sure, Ruby, Let's go."

**A.N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it, especially the fight. I used to be in wrestling so I have a little experience with grappling, even though I've never done something like Judo. The Annihilation Tournament is coming up, though! I can't tell you how excited I am to start that.**


	3. Tough Guy Redux

**The Kengan Reaper Chapter 3: Tough Guy Redux**

**A.N: I preemptively want to apologize for this chapter. I need it to exist in order to establish plot elements for the future, but in the end it's really just a lackluster retelling of canon. It was really hard for me to get invested in it because of that, and I think it reflects in my writing this chapter. I can't really bring myself to rewrite it or anything, though. I hope you can enjoy the chapter regardless and know that better stuff is on the way.**

_This place is vile… I'd expected more from an organization as renowned as the Kengan Association._

Whitley Schnee stands in place of his father tonight. Well, he supposes that isn't quite accurate. The Schnee Spice company wasn't actively participating in this Kengan match, but father seemed extremely invested in it's results. "_Whitley,_" he'd told him. "_I need you to sit in on a particular Kengan match today. It's results may very well be the catalyst that leads to the Schnee Spice company's realization of its full potential!_"

With that much riding on it, how could Whitley possibly refuse?

The venue for today was an abandoned parking lot, hence Whitley's disgust. Jacque wasn't able to be present himself because he needed to be present for another match Ruby was fighting in. _Ruby Rose…_ the thought of their representative competitor made him turn his nose up, but she wasn't here. The competing corporations today were the Nogi group and Gandai. Whitley was familiar with both of them, having been informed by his father of all the prominent figureheads in the Kengan association.

"Mr. Nogi and Ms. Akiyama are running awfully late. I mean it's almost time for the match. Still… I can't believe Ohma's opponent today is _that_ man," someone comments to the side of him. Whitley turns his head and spots an older looking man. His face is wrinkled and the back of his hair is turning white. He wears glasses and a pedestrian business suit that looks incredibly worn out. _He mentioned Nogi. Is this man an affiliate of his, or is he just a Kengan association employee? Either way he'll be useful._

"Are you familiar with him?" Whitley asks, nodding toward Gandai's representative competitor.

The older man seems startled by the sudden question, but nods. "Um, yes. He's a big name in the world of pro wrestling," he remarks.

"**In the world of Super Japan Pro Wrestling, there isn't a single man more renowned. Whether it be a steel cage match, or simple pro wrestling, he's the ace who carries the industry of pro wrestling on his shoulders. Hell's angel, Jun Sekibaiyashi!"**

Whitley processes this information. "That _is_ interesting. What use could a showman such as himself be in an environment like the Kengan matches?" he asks, mostly to himself. The elderly gentleman to the right of him makes a noise of contemplation before looking back to the fighters. Jun Sekibaiyashi is a man with impressive physical stature. Easily standing over six feet tall and having his entire body covered in well built muscle. All he wears is a pair of boots, a speedo with the Gandai logo on it and wrist bands. He has long hair which is pulled into dreadlocks, and there are scars all over his body.

His opponent stands opposite him. As the referee goes about announcing the competitors in today's match, Whitley learns his name is Ohma Tokita. _When translated that could be read as 'witching hour'. Interesting…_ he observes. Ohma is rather impressive himself. He's shorter than Sekibaiyashi and his frame is smaller, but his musculature is defined and reflective of old greek sculptures. His hair falls to his shoulders in a messy, but somehow controlled fashion. He is bare but for a pair of athletic shorts, but his right wrist, leg and sternum are bandaged.

"Ohma Tokita," Sekibaiyashi says, his tone commanding. "Don't lump me in with those you fought up until now. I am the first true warrior you've faced in the Kengan matches," he tells him, slapping his chest authoritatively. Ohma doesn't rise to his provocation, simply bouncing on the balls of his feet with a predatory grin.

"Fighter's, at the ready!" the referee calls, raising his arms. Ohma stops bouncing and drops to a stance. His left foot is placed forward, his bandaged arm is held close to his face in a defensive position and the other is extending forward slightly. Sekibaiyashi simply crosses his arms and grins. "Begin!" the referee shouts.

"All right! Come at me wi-!"

Sekibaiyashi is punched in the jaw.

The speed is truly otherworldly. Once second, Ohma had been sanding meters away from his opponent, the next he was in his face. Whitley had never witnessed a fight before, public or private, so seeing such an incredible display of speed and power was jarring. He doesn't stop his assault either, even as Sekibaiyashi stumbles back. He dances back and forth, hammering blows on Sekibaiyashi without remorse.

"You sure like to talk, warrior," Ohma taunts as he punches Sekibaiyashi again. "You might want to spend more of that time on your defense. So many openings…" He lets out a deep, guttural growl before rushing forward, ramming his fist into his opponents jaw.

Sekibaiyashi laughs and grabs his fist.

"Sorry. Talking is kind of an occupational hazard for me," Seki remarks, his hold never breaking as Ohma tries to retract his fist. In an incredible display of strength, he turns into Ohma and throws the man over his shoulder, sending him crashing into the concrete. A horrifying, wet _slapping_ sound resonates throughout the parking garage, and Whitley winces.

"An arm whip? This guy's pretty good…" the aging man to the right of him says.

"Maybe so, but Tokita wasn't wrong. Sekibaiyashi took all of his blows without even putting up a defense. If this is part of his strategy, it's suicidal," Whitley comments, surprised to see the words leave his mouth. Father had taught him that it was improper for a Schnee to converse with those of lower social standing, as this man presumably was. Sekibaiyashi makes to stomp on Ohma's prone form before Whitley can think any more on it.

Ohma rolls out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blow. Seki tries to grab him, but Ohma dances out of the way before kicking him in the head. Sekibaiyashi doesn't back down this time, retaliating with a chop that Ohma avoids. He reins down more blows on Seki, all of which the older man wethers without putting up a defense. Sekibaiyashi swings his arms at Ohma, but the lithe fighter moves out of his wild punches with ease. He's caught off guard, however, when Seki launches forward with a front kick.

It throws Ohma off his feet and sends him crashing into one of the abandoned cars. The glass shatters beneath his back and the hood of the car crumbles like tissue paper. "Ah! What an unusual kick, to send a giant like Ohma flying!" the man next to him cried.

Ohma groans and rolls his head. The referee is quick to act. "Tokita, are you alright? Can you continue?" he asks commandingly. He draws himself to a sitting position, and Sekibaiyashi laughs tauntingly.

"That's right. Go on and expend all your 'options'," Sekibaiyashi says, his tone demeaning.

"Options?" Ohma mumbles, making to hop off the car.

"That's right. You fighters are different from us pro wrestlers. You have the option to block your opponents attacks. You can block, you can dodge, you can even choose to take the hit if you want." He slaps his chest again, and for the briefest of moments his energy reminds Whitley of his father. "But pro wrestlers don't have those options, we only have duties. Whether it's a punch, a blade, or even a bomb; we have no choice but to take it. _That_ is why you fighters have nothing on us pro wrestlers. So continue to run away and use your options to your fullest extent, and _I'll_ fulfill my duties," he taunts, posturing with his arms spread wide.

"Th-this guy is looking down on us! He basically said everyone other than pro wrestlers are useless!" the guy next to Whitley exclaims. He seems to be a rather vocal person.

"Indeed. No wonder he reminds me of father…"

Ohma gets off the hood of the car with a small, neutral smile that reminds Whitley way too much of Ruby Rose. Wordlessly, he walks up to Sekibaiyashi and stops barely half a step away from the much larger man. Seki crosses his arms and grins. "Oh? Is close quarters your thing, then? Well that's fine! Come at me with-"

Ohma pinches him.

It's a bizarre turn of events that Whitley can't stop his jaw from falling slightly as Ohma reaches over, grabs the skin of Sekibaiyashi's forearm and twists it. The older man immediately slaps his hand away. "Hey, what the hell're you tryin' to do?!"

Ohma simply laughs. "Isn't that running away…? _From pain?_" he asks, a predatory grin in place. "You didn't fulfill your duty…"

Sekibaiyashi's face tightens and he grabs Ohma's shoulder. As he swings his arm down in a chop, he shouts "Rrgh! You think just because you got that you won! We'll-" but he's cut off when Ohma rolls his shoulder and steps to the side. Seki's chop goes wide and he stumbles forward. Ohma kicks him in the head while he's off balance, but his opponent just growls and tries to hit him again. And again, Ohma rolls his shoulder and throws off Seki's footing, his attack whiffing by a huge margin.

"Ah, that's it!" the old man to Whitley's left calls as the fighters continue to play their game of cat and mouse. "Ohma's… uh, his' control the flow of power move!" he cheers. _Does he really have a technique that can do such a thing? _Whitley considers this. _If he does, it would make it very hard for someone like Ruby to fight him_. Whitley controls his grimace when he thinks of their representative competitor, but files the information away for later.

Ohma rams his elbow into Sekibaiyashi's nose, sending the older man stumbling back(he still manages to keep his grip on Ohma's shoulder, somehow). Ohma sports a predatory grin, and Whitley suspects he's getting ready to end it. To the surprise of much of the audience, however, Sekibaiyashi grins. As Ohma makes to attack Seki launches forward, clotheslining him and taking him off his feet. Whitley's eyes widen as this giant of a man is thrown off his feet and sent through the air onto his chest. The sudden shift in momentum of the watch almost gives Whitley whiplash.

As Ohma remains still on the floor, the referee crouches down as asks if he can continue. Seki isn't waiting for a response, and he drags Ohma up by his head. "If there's one thing you should remember about us pro wrestlers, it's that we're also very skilled actors," he taunts. Seki wraps his arms around the delirious Ohma's waist before dragging him up and slamming him back into the ground with a suplex.

"Ohma, no!"

Seki doesn't stop, flipping over Ohma's prone body before performing another suplex. Ohma's eyes are lidden, and he flops onto his back when Sekibaiyashi let's go of him. "Huh?! Is he unconscious…?" the aging man to the right of him asks. Whitley can barely hear him over the roaring of the crowd. He had been told by his father that the audience could get rather invested in the Kengan matches, but it seems Sekibaiyashi had a hold over them. He flaunts his muscles and clamours for the audiences support before slamming his elbow on Ohma's chest. Whitley winces every time one of Sekibaiyashi's attacks land. He isn't sure when he'd started rooting for Ohma, but right now he didn't care.

"Yeah! That's the way Sekibaiyashi! Hey kid, you might wanna think about forfeiting before you get killed!" a very inebriated man shouts from further down. Whitley clicks his tongue but doesn't react. _What's the point? He's hardly wrong. In the position he's currently in, Ohma doesn't have a single chance of winning._

"Take it back…"

The sudden animosity comes from none other than the noisy old man Whitley had been standing next to surprises him. It surprises the drunk too, if his expression is anything to go by. "Huh? What'd you say?" he slurs, unconcerned.

"I said take back what you just said!" he roars, grabbing the man by his shirt.

"Hm? The hell's your problem?"

"Ohma won't lose… even though he's up against that Sekibaiyashi, he'll never lose!"

The drunk looks back to the fight. "Never lose, huh? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of winning from that sorry state."

"You don't understand!" he cries, eyebrows furrowed. "Ohma Tokita…! Is not a man that would let himself be beaten in a place like this! No matter what monster he's going up against, he always wins in the end! That's just who he is!" the aging man spoke with the kind of conviction Whitley has only even seen from his father. It is so jarring, he can't help but take a step back from the hunched man as he breathes heavily.

_H-he actually believes everything he just said, doesn't he? How the hell can he have such faith in this man?! Corporate competitors are only useful for their individual strength. It hardly matters what their nature is, because their desires outside of the consent to fight don't matter! And yet… this man thinks differently, doesn't he? He truly believes that just because Ohma Tokita doesn't want to lose, that he'll somehow win this. How can he put so much of his company's welfare into one man?! It's completely insane!_

The drunk seems totally unconcerned as he removes the other man's hands and turns to the fight. "Not to interrupt your speech or anything, but your friend looks to be in a bit of trouble."

His words tear Whitley from inside his head. Back on the battlefield, Sekibaiyashi has drawn Ohma to a sitting position, and was now posturing to the crowd. "Alright! It's about time I ended this, what do you say!?"

"Break him! Break him! Break him!" the crowd chants-mostly-in unison. Whitley has no words, not anymore. Sekibaiyashi hoist the limp man up on his shoulders, before wrapping an arm around his neck and waist.

Then, he starts to flex.

Seki pulls down with his arms while pushing up on his shoulders, and the results are painful to watch. Whitley can hear Ohma's spine pop from where he's standing, and blood starts to leak from his mouth. "Ah, Ohma!" the elderly man cries in despair.

Whitley turns away. He doesn't want to see a man die.

…

Ohma Tokita is currently in a lot of pain.

It was curious, then, that he found himself standing in a secluded spring. Thousands of candles surrounded him. They were placed everywhere; on rock formations and patches of moss. Some of them were even lit in the spring with him. _How long has it been since I've come here?_ he wonders. This place was somewhere locked within his deep subconscious, and he shouldn't normally have needed to come here.

But Niko's technique's weren't working on this man.

_Guess I'll have to borrow some power._

Ohma turns to the side and lets out a small breath. Hundreds of the candles go out at once, and he can immediately feel his blood start to pump faster and faster. His consciousness returns to him slowly but surely, and as soon as he can make out the grime-ridden ceiling of the parking garage, he springs into action.

Faster than anyone in the audience can see, Ohma _tears_ JunSekibaiyashi's hands from him and crouches on the man's sizable back. He's quick to leap off of his opponent a fair distance away. JunSekibaiyashi turns to him with a critical look. "Hey… what the hell did you just do?"

The first two fingers on each of his hands are broken.

The audience gasps in shock, but Ohma's grin turns predatory once he sees his handiwork. His blood is boiling now, and he's almost certain such a feat wouldn't have been possible for him normally. He cracks his neck and shoulders, stretching leisurely as JunSekibaiyashi stares at him unmoving.

"What did I do…?"

Ohma's smile is all teeth.

"_What happened was I took out a small loan_."

No more words are exchanged before Ohma charges forward. He _rams_ his fist into JunSekibaiyashi's jaw, and he doesn't just stumble, he _staggers_. His speed is easily four times greater than it was before, and Ohma takes advantage of that by hammering his opponent with blows. Anything he can reach hit reins down with blows. His face, chest, and legs are all battered as Ohma continues his never ending rush. His grunts and growls with every attack, grinning like a loon the entire time. Eventually, he starts to push JunSekibaiyashi-who must be over a hundred pounds heavier than him-back with his intense assault.

At one point, JunSekibaiyashi hits him with a chop from his broken hand, but Ohma just shrugs that off and keeps attacking. He pounds his opponent with an uppercut, and JunSekibaiyashi's head snaps back so fast Ohma wonders if he broke his neck. He hasn't, and Ohma goes back on the attack. His whole body hums with power, and the blood coursing through his veins ignites his body with the kind of energy he can't help but expend.

Then, something odd starts to happen.

While he continues to whether his strikes, JunSekibaiyashi takes a step forward. This doesn't really bother Ohma at first, so he keeps attacking. But then he takes another, and another, and before long it's _Ohma_ who's being pushed back, despite never ceasing his assault. JunSekibaiyashi flashes a smile that's all teeth, before rushing forward and trying to grapple him. Ohma isn't about to let that happen again, and quickly hops back before punishing him with a right, high roundhouse kick.

JunSekibaiyashi is thrown back, ironically ending up in the same place he'd started before he made his push. Ohma's ever present grin grows wider as he realizes victory is within his reach. He charges forward to end it-!

Blood erupts from his skull.

It's such a powerful blow that Ohma can't stop the brief haziness of his vision as he staggers back and nearly falls to one it. It was insane, in a move much faster than anything he'd done before, JunSekibaiyashi had grabbed Ohma by the skull and delivered a fucking _punishing_ headbutt. _No, I can't stop now! With the advance, I can-!_

His thoughts are interrupted when JunSekibaiyashi drop kicks him so hard his ribs break.

Ohma is thrown backward like a bullet and sent crashing into a concrete pillar. Said pillar splinters on impact, and Ohma crashes to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Ignoring his body's protest, he forces himself to stand. JunSekibaiyashi is already charging towards him with his right arm extended.

"Hey! This isn't the time to be taking a goddamn break!" he roars as he rushes forward.

Ohma takes a deep breath and lets it go. _You're right, JunSekibaiyashi_. His eyes narrow and he tenses his body. _I'm not gonna lose…_

Ohma dashes forward once more.

…

Whitley genuinely cannot believe his own eyes.

One moment, Jun Sekibaiyashi had been rushing toward Ohma Tokita, fully intending to end the match. The next, Ohma had shot forward like a bullet and appeared passed him, in a movement that looked _way too similar_ to Ruby's fighting style. Not a second after this incomprehensible exchange, Sekibaiyashi's eyes had rolled into his head and the giant of a man had crashed to the ground.

"W-what the _hell_?! I don't believe it-no, I _can't _believe it! How the hell did Tokita manage to turn it around! What did he do?!" Whitley can't stop his hysterical ranting, despite knowing such behavior was incredibly inappropriate of a Schnee.

"H-he went for the windpipe," the aging man-Who Whitley realized must've been Tokita's manager or something similar-says breathlessly. Whitley turns his attention to him. "If the supply of oxygen to the brain is cut off, then it doesn't matter how strong you are! Consciousness would be lost instantly! Sekibaiyashi's own charging speed combined with Ohma's striking power was enough to take him down! He really did it… he woooooooooooooooooooooooon!" he cheers, literally jumping for joy and throwing his arms in the air while laughing like a madman.

And at this moment, something inside Whitley _changed_.

_This man…_ he thinks, and only then realizes he had never thought to ask the man for his name. _His genuinely belief that Ohma Tokita could beat Jun Sekibaiyashi ended up trumping even type of logical reasoning to the contrary. Is this what makes the upper echelon of the Kengan association so successful. A symbiotic relationship between company and competitor… where us-the stuffed shirts and businessman of the Kengan association-place all of our assets behind our competitors in the belief that they will perform as expected. I believed such a thing was foolish, as did father, but… could this have been what we were missing…?_

"Well I'll be damned… he actually managed to beat him," the drunk from before commented, slapping a hand on the cheering older man's shoulders. "Hey, you've got a good eye for this stuff; I think I've taken a liking to you! What's your name?" he asks.

"Hm? Oh, um… it's Kazou, Kazou Yamashita."

"Hm, well then, Kazu, let's go get some drinks sometime!" he cheers, patting the other man's shoulder before walking away.

_Kazou Yamashita… I won't forget you. You may not have realized, but I think you might help the Schnee Spice Company reach its fullest potential._ Whitley mentally declares.

"Yes, well, I need to go check on Ohma…" he mutters under his breath. Whitley follows his gaze toward Ohma Tokita as well, and only now notices two of the fingers on his right hand and broken. _That must've come from when he stuck Sekibaiyashi's windpipe. Yamashita really does have quite the impressive gaze._

"Most Excellent!"

The voice cuts through the drumming of the crowd like a gunshot, and everyone's attention turned towards it. There were many murmurs of confusion among the association members, but Whitley was not one of them.

After all, he had expected the Kengan association chairman to show up tonight.

"Chairman Katahara," the voice that cuts through the din of conversation belongs to Nogi Hideki. He steps forward with his secretary-an attractive pink-haired woman in a red business suit-by his side. Nogi is an aged man. The wrinkles on his face are numerous and his hair is clearly starting to recede. Despite all of this, his presence alone could rival that of Whitley's father. The Nogi groups influence was nearly boundless, and father had always made sure to keep a close eye on their activities.

However, in spite of all these achievements, he couldn't hold a candle to Metsudo Katahara. Metsudo Katahara-the president of Dainippon Bank and Kengan association chairman-was a stout old man with a beard that reached his feet and a gaze that could ignite dry ice. He turned to Nogi slowly and drawled, "Ooh… Nogi,"

Said man gave a short bow before saying, "Chairman, I thank you for agreeing to come all this way."

"...Nogi. I see you've found yourself quite the champion, wouldn't you agree?" he trails off. Whitley is left wondering why, but then the unexplainable occurs. Jun Sekibaiyashi, who just moments before had been collapsed on the floor in a heap, he risen to his feet as though he were just getting out of bed in the morning. "Well, Sekibaiyashi?"

Ohma's head whips to his downed opponent in shock. "Th-there's no way! He can't be up already, right?!" Yamashita cries.

The bloodied man casually takes his broken fingers and resets them with near surgical accuracy. The only evidence you'd find that they were injured at all were the sickly brown bruises on his knuckles. "He's truly quite the opponent. I never expected I would actually lose to him. Well, you win for today," he announces, and Ohma seems bothered by Sekibaiyashi's seeming lack of any damage.

"Hohoho! So he has _the_ Sekibaiyashi's approval. I suppose this means he must be 'the real deal'. Well… I suppose that settles it then, right, Shikano?" he postures, turning to the CEO of Gandai, inc.

Shikano Gen is a heavily straight-faced, bald man, but his reputation speaks for itself. "...Yes. I admit defeat, Mr. Nogi. And as the losing party, Gandai Inc. will endorse Mr. Nogi's proposal for a 'contest to claim the Kengan association chairman's seat."

Everyone in the area immediately forms their own conclusions about this, conversing with each other and loudly speculating on the outcome. Whitley does not let any of this distract him, and there are a select few others who share his same disposition. _It is done, father. A Kengan Annihilation tournament has been initiated and the seat of the Kengan association chairman is yours for the taking. All you need to do is set the proper counter-measures in place and select the right… competitor._

"Hm… so the requirement of fifty other Kengan association employees endorsement has been met. As such, this would mean… _that you have earned the right to cross blades with Metsudo Katahara!" _

Whitley grits his teeth and tries to ride it out. _T-this bastard! He's ninety years old and yet the pressure he's spewing forth is so focused and intense I can't even move! _Whitley forces himself to keep control, calling upon every lesson his father had taught him about proper public conduct.

Nogi, who seems just as affected by Katahara's presence as him, takes a breath before speaking. "I am ready… Metsudo Katahara, fifty-eight chairman of the Kengan association, I will put an end to your rule!" he declares.

"Hoh yohhh! Big words for such a small child. How amusing! How very amusing of you, Nogi!" he taunts, seeming more like a playful child than a powerful old man. "Then I accept your challenge! Use everything you have at your disposal to challenge Metsudo Katahara and 'The Fang of Metsudo'!"

This sets the crowd off again, and they begin animatedly discussing the Fang. Kazou Yamashita turns to Whitley. "Uhh… What's this 'Fang of Metsudo' you're all talking about?" he asks. The analytical part of Whitley's mind acts up at this. _He doesn't know? That combined with his likely status as a subsidiary of Nogi's makes it clear he's new to the Kengan association. Depending on where he ends up, he may end up being incredibly useful… as a loyal confidant of the Schnee Spice company, of course._

"The Fang of Metsudo is the representative competitor under Katahara's employ. To be blunt, he's the strongest fighter the Kengan matches has ever seen, as far as I know, and his Kengan match record is one-hundred fifty-seven wins, zero losses." Yamashita makes a choking sound, and Whitley hardly begrudges him for it. _I've never seen him in action, but the Fang's record is more than enough justification for his skill. Ruby Rose… can you beat the Fang? You bested Tokuno'o Tokumichi, a man who brought the Fang to the brink of defeat, but does that mean you have the strength to defeat Fang…?_

"...Go ahead, chairman," Gen advises.

"Right. As of this day… as chairman of the Kengan association, I hereby declare the 'Kengan annihilation tournament' officially underway!"

Whitley grits his teeth and glares at the Kengan association president. _Ruby Rose… you've managed to win the favor of not only my sisters, but also father. I'll admit, I was jealous of you for that, but… the people here have shown me the proper way to treat representative competitors. Not as tools to be used and discarded, but as figureheads to help one achieve their ambitions!_

And Ruby Rose would be the one Whitley Schnee put his faith in.


	4. Rivals

**The Kengan Reaper Chapter 4: Rivals**

"Kengan annihilation tournament?"

It's not exactly the reaction Jaque had wanted from Ruby. She sounds more puzzled than excited. _Maybe she just doesn't understand. Very well, I'll explain it to her._ "Yes. Nogi Hideki-the current leader of the Nogi group-recently fulfilled the requirement of the endorsement of fifty Kengan association members; this allowed him to initiate a tournament for the seat of Kengan association chairman. Said tournament will be taking place three months from now. As I'm sure you expected, I want you to enter the tournament as the Schnee Spice company's representative competitor."

"Oh! Uh… I see," Ruby trails off awkwardly, and Jaque's eyes narrow.

"Is something the matter?" he asks.

Ruby freezes. "Well, uh, it's just… when I agreed to be your guys' competitor, I wasn't planning on doing anything like this. I mean-"

"Are you saying you refuse?"

She flinches under his tone, but remains strong. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Jaque, but this isn't what I've been fighting for."

Jaque closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He hadn't been expecting this, but he was prepared either way. Truthfully, he hadn't wanted to use this, but Ruby was making it necessary. He wasn't sure when he'd started to find the company of Ruby Rose pleasant, but having her at odds with him now was oddly dispiriting. Regardless, he-as Whitley had put it during his recalling of the match last night-needed Ruby's help to achieve his ambitions. "That really is a shame…" he says with a sigh. "Especially since I have it on good authority Yang Xiao-Long will be entering the tournament."

Ruby's entire demeanor immediately changed. Her posture stiffens and her eyes narrow. Her muscles are tensed-ready for a fight-and her usual pleasant smile is nowhere to be seen. "What did you say?" her tone speaks of danger. And Jaque has to physically stop himself from shivering.

"Ruby Rose, don't underestimate my ability to gather information. I'll admit, I wasn't able to find out much by myself, but an outside source told me more than enough about your… sordid history."

"You had no right…" she growls.

"Maybe so, but I'd like to remind you that you're _my _representative competitor. _I'm_ the one putting hundreds of millions of yen on the line to let you fight for me, and I want you to fight for me in this tournament," his words are laced with steel. Jacque Schnee is not the type of man to back down from anyone, let alone someone who isn't his equal. "Anyway, what's the point of complaining? This makes it a 'win-win' for us, doesn't it? You finally get to see the person you've been searching for, and I get to enter the tournament."

Ruby looks down, her eyes cast in shadow. "Yeah…"

"**With this, the Schnee Spice company had officially entered the tournament! Their representative competitor being… Ruby Rose!"**

**...**

"She agreed to enter as soon as I said Yang's name. It went exactly as you predicted."

Jacque Schnee wasn't someone who liked to follow orders. He was an incredible businessman unrivaled in his area of expertise, and with Ruby at his side he'd been able to extend his power further. But… he was not immune to fear. As much as humans had evolved as a species since their inception, they were not incapable of repressing their base instincts. At this moment in time, every single fibre of Jacque Schnee's being was telling him to run away from the woman in front of him, and he had to physically force this instinct back to even talk to her.

"Good… you've served me well, Jacque Schnee. I'm glad you had enough brains to recognize those stronger than you."

Jacque didn't take well to the woman's words, even though he couldn't refute them. He was near the top of his field, so the idea of being subsidiary was completely foriegn to him. However, Jacque was not so arrogant that he couldn't recognize when he needed to make sacrifices. "That's good news, I'm sure. Regarding the matter we discussed earlier, however…"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I have the strength to keep my word once I give it, unlike you feeble businessman. When I win this little competition I'll make sure you get your chairman position," she waves off.

"Hm." Jacque remains silent, content with her assurances. "Your matters are your own, but I'll admit to a little bit of curiosity. Why are you so fixated on having Ruby enter the tournament?"

"Why…?" she leads off, her tone bored. And much like with Ruby, Jacque witnesses the woman's entire demeanor change. The nonchalant, almost bored expression and posture she'd had disappeared, and the wild beast thrumming underneath the surface is visible. Her grin is a kind of feral that doesn't even seem human. Her muscles tense and she grips the arm of her chair so tightly it shatters immediately.

Raven Branwen smiles. "Once she crushes the brat who inherited Summer's _precious_ little Rose style, Yang will finally be strong enough to be acknowledged as my daughter!"

…

Ohma Tokita is training like his life depends on it, and in a way it kinda does.

He'd managed to beat JunSekibaiyashi with the help of his borrowed Niko style-not the mention the advance-but that had still been a tough battle. If _he_ was going to be at this tournament, Ohma had to make sure he was at a hundred percent. And as he shadow boxed late at night in an abandoned park, he was sure he'd managed that.

_I hope you're ready… I'm going to demonstrate who the strongest really is._ Ohma sighs and flops onto his back. A thin sheen of sweat covers his body, but it's a pleasant kind of exhaustion compared to some of the fights he'd been in. He could feel his power thrumming through his veins, and with the advance on top of that, he was sure to win the tournament. He closes his eyes and lets out a breath, feeling the wind rush over his body.

There's someone with him.

His eyes snap open and he takes in the details immediately. The person currently crouched over him is definitely strong. He has long purple hair and delicate features, but his muscular frame was visible even with that. "It's nice to see you again after so long."

Ohma launches to his feet and backs away, dropping to a fighting stance in the process. "What the?! Who the hell are-?!" his words are forgotten when the guy disappears in a flash. When Ohma can see him again, he's in his personal space and running a hand over Ohma's abs.

"I'm glad to see you've developed over the past ten years…"

Ohma swats at him but the man hops back to avoid getting hit. "Ten years? Wait a minute, you're-!" his memory finally catches up with him. He had met this man before. It was ten years ago, and he had been with _that guy…!_

"_I hope we can see each other again… as enemies."_

That's what this guy had said when they last saw each other. "Yes, that's right. I'm glad you remember me," he postures, and Ohma decides right then that he hates this man's voice. It's so sickly sweet that every single word which comes out of his mouth sounds condescending.

"If you're here… hey, tell me where I can find _that guy!_"

His words seem to amuse the man. "Oh? Are you talking about my master? The one who murdered Niko Tokita?" Ohma growls and is about to attack the man, but his next words make him freeze.

"I killed him."

"..._What?_"

"I killed him. I killed my master," the man repeats, a twisted smile on his face. "Tell me, how does that make you feel? To know that the revenge you've been searching ten long years for was stolen by me. That you will never be able to avenge Niko Tokita, because the man who killed him is already dead. Are you angry? Go on, then. Show me your rage!"

"Hey, don't misunderstand my intentions."

Ohma's declaration shuts him up. He seems so genuinely shocked by his words that Ohma can't help but bask in it for a second. His rage quickly overtakes him, and the words start falling from his lips before he can stop himself. "I don't care about getting revenge for Niko. I never have! Niko died… because he was weak! But I'm stronger than Niko ever was, so I figured I'd prove it by killing the guy who beat him. The truth is it really pisses me off, seeing all those people walking around thinking they're the 'strongest', when the truth is they're weak! So I'll show all the so-called 'strongest' exactly who's on top… at the tournament," he says the last part in rush, trying to keep from exploding. But he can't help it.

Ohma Tokita… is the type of man who can't stand the thought anyone is stronger than him.

This only seems to excite the man. "Ah, yes! You're absolutely right! We should kill each other on the biggest stage imaginable!" he cheers, and Ohma is disturbed to find the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

Still, now that he has his emotions were more under control, he's able to offer his future opponent his signature feral grin. "Whatever you say, freak." The guy's creepy smile never drops, even as he turns and starts to walk away. "Hold up," Ohma says, and the man stops. "Before you go, tell me one thing. What's… your name."

"My name…?" The man smirks, before letting out a soft chuckle. "It's Setsuna, Setsuna Kiryu. And don't you forget it. It's the name of your 'nemesis'... I'll see you around, Ohma Tokita."

SetsunaKiryu disappears from sight once again, and this time Ohma is sure he's alone. "SetsunaKiryu…" immediately upon thinking of his name, he sees red. A rage so overwhelming it threatens to burn his skin engulfs him, and he lashes out at the nearest object. His foot smashes against the metal frame of a lamp post and bends it inward. Not a second after it crashes to the ground beside him in a heap.

"_I will personally destroy you!"_

…

Ruby Rose is training like her life depends on it, but she doesn't take much solace in that.

After rounding the last tree she slams the button on her stopwatch and looks at the time. "Eleven seconds… good, I've gotten faster again," she huffs, looking at the makeshift obstacle course she'd made out of a park. She lets out a deep breath before collapsing onto her back. Her body always felt so heavy after these workouts, and she hated the feeling. It just made her feel so… powerless.

_I'm almost certain _she's _the one who told Jacque about Yang. _she thinks, recalling that morning's drama. It was bittersweet. After twelve impossibly long years, she's finally managed to find her sister, but the whole thing had basically been set up for her. _What are they planning? _She can't help but wonder. Not just in regards to _her_, but Jacque as well. Either way, it didn't really matter. She just had to keep fighting and winning until she got to Yang. Ruby yawns, briefly considering taking a nap then and there. "Wait. I promised Weiss I'd have dinner with her, dammit…" she huffs. She makes to sit up, but her body still feels _so heavy_.

"Hello again."

Ruby's eyes shoot open. She knows that voice, but she desperately hopes her assumptions are wrong. _There's no way it's true. It-it can't be true! She couldn't have survived…_ but the reality is right in front of her. The same raven colored hair, same amber eyes that almost looked golden, same ever present smirk. But more than any of that, it's the intense aura Ruby feels radiating from this woman that confirms her worst fears.

Cinder Fall is sitting on top of her.

Her legs are sprawled across either side of her chest and she drapes herself across Ruby's body, almost like a lover would. She now understands why she felt so heavy before. Ruby tries to get up, but Cinder casually places her hands on Ruby's wrist, and even though there's no force behind it-her hold being more gentle than threatening-she immediately stops making any form of resistance. "Cinder?! How the hell are you-?!"

"Alive?" she hums. Her voice is smooth and sultry, but has this intensity behind it that sends a shiver down Ruby's spine. "It must be rather shocking for you, I imagine." Ruby grits her teeth and exhales. _So she can still read people like a book. Great._ "But imagine how equally shocking it was for me to find out you weren't only alive, but fighting in the Kengan matches."

"You've been looking for me?"

"I have," her casual admittance silences her. "I've been hoping I would get to see you again. You've changed some in four years, it seems." Cinder reaches down, and Ruby tenses, but all she does is caress her cheek in an oddly motherly manner. "You've grown more womanly, for one."

"You're different too," Ruby snarls. "I can't imagine the Cinder I met four years ago feeling me up."

Her hand retracts, and her smirk falls to a small frown. "Hm. Your focus is still so thin. I'd have thought you would be smarter than that now."

Ruby growls in frustration. "Stop being coy. I know you wouldn't come here unless you had a reason, so let's hear it! What do you want!?" she demands.

Cinder takes a deep breath, and when she releases it her smirk has returned. "I came here… to give you my declaration."

"Declaration…?"

"Yes. A declaration," she repeats. "I've come to declare my entry into the Kengan annihilation tournament, but also… _to declare my vengeance_." Her tone drops, and the same intensely focused presence she'd felt four years ago returns. To be frank, Ruby knew she was really strong. Yet, despite all of that, she was scared of Cinder Fall. "Ruby Rose… four years ago, you took everything from me. Then, you disappeared, leaving me alone with my failure. But I'm going to take back control of my life, starting with _you_. I will kill you without remorse during the tournament. Where everybody can see you, the strongest person in the world, fail and die."

Ruby is taken aback. She hadn't expected to hear this kind of remorse from someone like Cinder. _But still…_ "Sorry, Cinder, but I'm not just gonna let you have your way," she growls, her expression hardening. "There's someone I have to reach no matter what! And I'm not gonna let anyone stand in my way! I will stop you… and I'll save her! And… and if I can, I'll save you too!" She doesn't even understand half of what she's saying, but she can't keep these feelings locked up anymore. The pain, the loneliness; it all piles up, and with her goal finally within reach those emotions were bubbling to the surface.

As she breathes heavily-trying to calm herself down-Cinder watches her with a contemplative look. Eventually, she shifts her weight slightly, and chuckles. "I won't lie, I'm glad to see you still have such fire. I was almost afraid you wouldn't be able to compete with me as I am now, but… I'm sure crushing you will still be satisfying." With those final words said, she finally releases Ruby and stands up. Ruby launches to her feet, glaring at her.

Cinder turns around, unconcerned. "I'll see you around, Ruby… my most hated rival." She walks away, and the fact she makes no move to defend her back shows Ruby just how confident she is in her abilities. Soon enough, she fades away and Ruby is left alone once more. She sighs and relaxes, feeling more tired than she ever has in her entire life.

"I guess my past isn't done throwing me for a loop…"

Her phone rings, and the caller ID says Weiss is trying to contact her. _Is she calling to make sure I'm coming for dinner? _The thought makes her smile. "Guess she's not such an ice queen after all," she says, and accepts the call.

…

Something is bothering Ruby.

One of the many talents Weiss' father had given her was his ability to read people, and for once Ruby was proving to be incredibly transparent. Her energy is just… too forced. Her smiles too wide, her speaking too energetic. She'd taken the time to explain the mechanics behind her 'Crescent Rose' technique when Weiss asked, despite saying she didn't have much affinity for fighting.

"_Running at those crazy speeds all the time takes its toll on my body, ya know?" _she'd said. "_My body's adapted to that over the years, however, and the culmination of that is the Rose style lethal offensive technique: Crescent Rose. Because my bones have been shaped oddly by the wind's velocity, my elbows and feet are as 'sharp' as scythes."_

"Ruby…"

"Hm?" she responds, half a steak hanging out of her mouth.

"Oh for the love of-! Please _swallow_ before you begin speaking with someone!" she barks. Ruby complies and tears the steak in half before devouring what's left.

"Sorry, Weiss. This steak is just so good! I can't stop myself," she cheers, a big smile on her face.

"I noticed."

Ruby chuckles unapologetically. "Is something wrong?"

_I should be the one asking you that,_ Weiss thinks. _Could this have something to do with father?_ "The annihilation tournament will commence in a little over two weeks," she says as a nosequiter. "How are you feeling about it? Do you think you can win?"

"I hafe 'o!" she exclaims through a mouthful of beef, ignoring Weiss' comments about manners. "Like I said before, I can't let myself lose to anyone!"

"Right. Because you're looking for someone?"

Ruby instantly stills, but Weiss had expected this. She hadn't forgotten Ruby's comment during her match with Nitoku, and it had weighed on her mind ever since. At first, she'd chosen to ignore it out of respect for her privacy, but with the Kengan annihilation tournament coming up, that had changed. They couldn't afford to have Ruby entering at anything less than her best if they were going to win.

Slowly, deliberately, Ruby sets her fork down and turns away. "Yeah… I just-I have to find her… so I can save her."

"Save her? From who?"

Ruby places a hand on her head, and this time it's Weiss who stills. "That's a story I'll tell you some other time, alright?" she remarks with her now iconic bright smile.

"Um, okay…" Weiss mumbles, trying to hide her blush. The last person to be intimate with her like this was her mother. She loved Winter, and she knew her father cared about the two of them deeply, but a Schnee didn't show physical affection. This… this was different, and it was kind of nice.

"Yeah… I can't let anyone get in my way. But still…" Ruby trails off.

Weiss tilts her head to the side, curious. "Is something still bothering you?" she asks.

"Yeah…" Ruby's expression grows more contemplative, and she slows her eating. "Weiss. How many competitors are going to be entering this tournament?"

Weiss starts. "Oh, um. Last I checked, two-hundred and fifty corporations have declared their candidacy for the tournament," she explains.

"Two hundred and fifty fighters, huh?" she repeats. A long silence occurs between them, and Weiss can't help but wonder what Ruby's thinking at that moment. "Let me ask you something, Weiss. What do you think of the Kengan matches?"

Weiss is confused. "What I think of them? What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it. I mean, I understand _why_ the Kengan association exists, but the whole thing is still crazy intense. The representative competitor of each corporation is putting their life on the line in every match."

Weiss places a hand on her chin. "I hadn't thought about it much before. Each competitor has to willingly agree to fight, however. It's not as though they aren't-in some manner-consenting to any harm that may befall them. Not to mention the fighters are compensated for their effort," she reasons.

Ruby smiles cheekily once more. "You're right about that. The pay _is_ pretty good. I never would've been able to afford tasty food like this in the past!"

"But I'm the one paying for it…"

Ruby shakes her head. "That's not what I'm talking about. Don't you think there's a reason people would want to participate in the Kengan matches. More than just money," she elaborates.

"Well, I'm assuming from your tone that you're implying each fighter has some sort of personal motivation for fighting. Am I right?"

Ruby snaps and points finger guns at her. "Bingo. I'm pretty sure you already picked up on this-you're pretty smart, after all-but I don't really like fighting. I didn't even want to participate in the tournament at first, but then… well, something made me change my mind."

"So then… something else must be motivating the other competitors as well, going by your logic."

"Mmhm," she hums, taking another bite. "I think a lot of them are just wanting to 'prove their strength' on a huge stage. But it could be something else that makes them wanna fight." Ruby sighs and sets her fork down again. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I'm about to enter a tournament with two-hundred and fifty fighters that all have insanely strong wills."

"Does that make you nervous?"

"No, not at all. But not being nervous is what has me so nervous"

"Eh?" she'd lost her.

Ruby shakes her head again and turns to Weiss. "Alright, let me explain it like this. Every single person trying to enter this tournament genuinely believes they can win it, including me. What kinds of people do you think would be wanting to enter a tournament of this level?"

It takes a second, but then everything clicks. "Extremely strong fighters."

Ruby nods solemnly. "Exactly. I don't doubt for a second that I'll win this thing if I have too, but it's not going to be easy in the slightest. I just wish I knew more about who's in the tournament, especially with Cin-!" she stops herself, side-eyeing Weiss as if she just remembered she was there. "Uh, anyway. It's just annoying. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels until this thing actually starts, ya know?" she attempts to deflect.

Weiss isn't stupid, though. "More secrets? You seem to have an awful lot of them, Ruby Rose," she accuses. "If there's a personal matter that may impact your performance in the tournament, we-as your employers-have a right to know."

Ruby flashes her another blinding smile. "So, if nothing is changing how I fight, it's fine then, right?" she cheers. Weiss sputters her arguments, but they fall on deaf ears. "You and your family don't have to worry about a thing, Weiss. I don't plan on losing till I achieve my dream!"

Weiss tries to argue with her, but Ruby is fully in her own little world. Eventually, Weiss sighs and relents. _You're impossible, Ruby Rose._

…

"**Two hundred and fifty entries… that's two hundred and fifty champions chosen to fight! As all the rivals gather… the day of the Kengan annihilation tournament finally came! What kinds of fighters could hope to participate?! And at the end of it all, who will finally be declared… the strongest!"**

**A.N: I know not a whole lot happened this chapter, but I've been really looking forward to it all the same. I got to give a look into some of the other characters central to the tournament and Ruby specifically, and we get some scenes with Ohma! Next chapter will be the preliminaries, so expect to see some more Kengan Ashura characters! More than that, I hope you guys will appreciate the interpretations of the characters I have planned in this work. See you next time!**


	5. Melee!

**The Kengan Reaper Chapter 5: Melee! **

"Wow! I never expected this many people would be here!"

Ruby stands on her tiptoes and tries her best to see over the heads of other people, but she still can't see even half of the total people gathered there. The dock where Ruby and the Schnee family would be departing for the tournament was in a nondescript location to avoid any prying eyes. Despite all of that, Ruby is genuinely amazed the Kengan association wasn't common knowledge by now. Weiss had told her there were two hundred and fifty entries in this tournament, but the Kengan association was comprised of many thousands more than that.

"I'm not surprised," Winter comments. "Nogi may have been the one to initiate the tournament, but many association members have been vying to take Katahara's throne."

"Geez. A lot of people must really hate this guy…"

"Sorry, but you're wrong this time, Ruby," Jacque cuts in. Ruby glares at him in turn. She may have agreed to enter the tournament to save Yang, but Jacque's manipulation still didn't sit well with her. "Personally, I have quite a lot of respect for Mr. Katahara. He's a brilliant businessman, and his reign as Kengan association chairman has been the longest in history. I imagine there are many others that feel the same. However… I refuse to be subsidiary to anyone." Jacque's words hang in the air as they all fall silent. Suddenly, he places a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "It's quite fortunate, then, that I found someone strong enough to fulfill my ambitions. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ruby scowls and looks away. Jacques two-faced acting wouldn't fool her anymore. "Yes, you're absolutely right, father!" Weiss cheers. "I'm certain we'll be able to win the tournament with Ruby as our competitor," her smile is wide and bright, and her eyes are innocent. _Oh Weiss… you must not know anything about it, huh? You're just excited to see your dad having faith in me._

She almost speaks up to set things straight, but a voice cuts through the thrum of the crowd before she can. "Thank you all for waiting so patiently!" Metsudo Katahara projects. Ruby can't see him from where she's standing, but his commanding presence still sends a shiver down her spine. "Now that all the entries have arrived, we will begin the boarding process!"

After that there's a moment of silence and Ruby is left just a little confused. There's some shuffling near the front of the crowd, and then a new voice speaks up. "Those of you who received an invitation with this seal, please step to the left and board the S.S. annihilation!" he demands.

Ruby turns to Jacque, confused. "Uh, do we have one of those?" she asks.

Jacques expression is tight. "No."

That just leaves Ruby even more perplexed. Were they required to have an invitation in order to enter the tournament? That was bad. They didn't already have one and it was too late to get one now. _Could I steal it?_ she briefly considers, but immediately discards. Summer had raised her better than that. Already people are following the man's orders, a large swath of the crowd shuffling onto the immaculate looking S.S. annihiation. She hadn't been able to appreciate it before, but it looked like something out of a storybook, all flash and grandeur. _Do I really get to ride on that?_ she briefly considers.

"Those of you without said invitation will be boarding this vessel, the S.S. Kengan!" the man barks, gesturing to his right. _Hm? Another boat? _Ruby finds this suspicious. Still, so long as they still get to enter the tournament, it doesn't really matter. Curious, Ruby turns to look at the boat they'd be traveling on.

The S.S. Kengan is a piece of crap.

It's worn down, discolored, and makes unpleasant noises as the water shifts it around. "Y-you've gotta be kidding me," Ruby grumbles. The drastic difference in quality is jarring.

Jacque especially seems to take offence. "Damn that Katahara! He's separating us by who he thinks is worthy of being in the tournament!" he growls.

Winter sighs beside him. "I've no doubt our consecutive losses in the Kengan matches contributed to this…" she grumbles.

Ruby turns back and forth from the two ships, dejected. _This sucks! This seriously sucks!_

…

Kazou Yamashita wasn't sure what he was expecting from the Kengan annihilation tournament, but it certainly wasn't this. Just from looking at it, he was sure the S.S. Kengan was going to make him seasick. He was doing fine for now, but he had no idea what was going to happen once they departed.

"Would you like a handkerchief?" miss Akiyama asks, offering one. Kazou expresses his thanks and takes it, wiping away some of the accumulated sweat on his forehead.

"Wow…" he exhales, looking around the deck. There's trash everywhere, and multiple spots are caked with rust. To the back left, there's a staircase leading upward. "This just seems… wow," he comments, unsure what else to say.

"This is somewhat… unsettling. We're not going to sink, are we?" Akiyama remarks.

"Really? I feel more at place on this one," Ohma informs them.

"I don't mind it either."

"But where are they gonna take us on the ship?" Kazuo wonders.

"No idea… I'm sure they'll make an announcement soon enough."

"Do you have any idea?" Ohma asks, looking to the left of him.

"Sorry, I don't…"

_...Hmm?!_

It's only then that Kazuo realizes something is off. "Uh, Ohma? Who are you talking to?"

"Huh? Who?" Ohma comments, seeming to have just then taken notice of Kazuo's presence. "I'm talking to her, why?"

Standing a little to the left of Ohma is a short young woman dressed in a business suit and skirt. Her hair ends just above her shoulders and falls in front of her face in a controlled mess. Her eyes seemed to be in a perpetual squint, making it nearly impossible to the the color of her irises. "Oh, hello! Nice to meet you!" she greets jovially.

"...Uh, who are you again?"

"She's been following us around for a while now," Ohma informs him.

"Oh, sorry about that. I kinda missed the chance to introduce myself," she says bashfully, rubbing the back of her head. "Pleased to meet you! My name's Rin Kushida! I'm here on Mr. Nogi's orders to work as your secretary, Mr. Yamashita! So, Mr. Yamashita, I hope to serve you as best as I can!"

"S-secretary!" Kazuo cries.

"Wow, you're really moving up in the world, KazuoYamashita."

"W-wait just a second! This is all happening so fast, I don't know what's-"

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you very much for waiting! If all representative competitors would be willing to go through this door, and all other passengers up the stairwell, then we can begin," a well dressed man commands from the front. He doesn't elaborate on his words, but all the passengers immediately follow his orders.

"Huh? Wait a second! Does that mean we're being separated from Ohma already?!" Kazuo cries in shock.

"Looks like it. See you, KazuoYamashita," Ohma remarks before walking off.

"Wait, Ohma! Are you leaving already…?" his words trail off when Ohma disappears with the crowd of other fighters. Kazuo purses his lips. This whole situation seems strange to him. For the entire time he'd observed the Kengan employees, they always seemed practically inseparable from their representative competitor. That had changed all of the sudden, and if Kazuo had learned even a little bit about the Kengan association by now, it was that they never did anything without a reason.

"Okay, we'd better get up to the next floor too," Rin comments, already moving.

"I agree."

"They're quick too!" Kazuo cries, immediately thrown off his game again. With how rational Akiyama always seemed, he was surprised by how quick she was to dismiss this. _T-this isn't good! So many things are happening at once, I can't even begin to process it!_ It's as he's going off in his head that he notices Kushida and Akiyama are already walking up the stairs. "Eh, wait up!" he cries desperately, dragging their bags behind him as he hurries after them.

The top deck is more pleasant than below, but not by much. Dirt and grime still permeates the surface like an awful disease, but it's less noticeable. Kazuo hurries over to the glass dome where a sizeable crowd is gathering with Kushida hot on his heels. When he presses his face up against the glass, he confirms his suspicions. _So that's where Ohma and all the others went._ he realizes. About ten feet below Kazuo all the representative competitors are gathered in a giant, empty rectangular box. "Wow! Amazing! They have a glass wall in here!" Kazuo gushes. For a place as run down as this, it's surprisingly clean.

Kushida presses herself against the glass next to him. "Oohhh! Look at all those fighters. There's got to be close to two-hundred," she cheers enthusiastically. Kazuo was still trying to process that this woman was now apparently his secretary, but it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it now. She seemed nice enough, anyway.

"Really! Those are all fighters?!" he exclaimed, returning her enthusiasm.

"Please stop embarrassing yourselves, you two," Akiyama criticizes. _Sorry miss Akiyama, I just can't help myself! Too think that everyone down there is a Kengan fighter that could be on the level of Rihito or Sekibaiyashi… well, I can't help but get a little excited! _Out of curiosity, Kazuo scans the crowd hoping to find a certain seaweed-haired man. "Oh! It's Ohma!" he exclaims when he finally spots him.

"Ohhh! Handsome guys sure stand out, don't they?"

Ohma seems rather unconcerned for someone surrounded by potential enemies. His gaze lazily drifts over the crowd before settling on them. "Hm? Did he notice us?"

"Ohhh! Handsome guys sure are sharp, aren't they?"

Strangely enough, Ohma raises his arm with his hand in a C shape. Then, he motions toward his open mouth several times over. "What's Ohma doing? Some kind of gesture?"

"That motion kinda looks like… drinking?" Kushida offers her two-cents.

"Stop it, you two! There are people watching!" Akiyama rebukes.

Ignoring her comment, Kazuo remembers something. "Ah, right! Water! Ohma asked me to keep hold of his belongings on the pier, and I remember there being some kind of plastic bottle in there!" he cheers. Crouching down, Kazuo reaches inside Ohma's pack and retrieves the bottled water. "I'd completely forgotten. I guess I should go take that down to him now."

"That won't be necessary," Akiyama cuts in, taking the water from him. "You _are_ the president of a company after all, if only in name. You shouldn't be busying yourself with something like this."

Kazuo is taken aback. "Well I suppose that's true, but…"

"It's fine. I'll take it to him." She abruptly turns away after that, disappearing down the stairs.

"Hey, Mr. Yamashita. Do you think they're an item?" Kushida asks abruptly.

"Huh?! Miss Akiyama and Ohma…?! I don't think so," he sputters.

"Oh, is that so…? I think they'd make a cute couple," she comments. Kazuo dismisses the notion, even though a part of him considers the possibility.

"Why did they seperate the company's from our competitors? It makes me feel uneasy. Winter, do you know anything?"

Kazuo turns toward the voice, and is shocked by what he sees. A family of three. All with white hair and dressed in white. Kazuo recognizes them instantly. "W-what is the Schnee family doing here?!" he wonders aloud.

Jacque Schnee scowls upon hearing his name, and turns to him. Kazuo immediately regrets having opened his mouth. _This pressure… I feel as though I'm an ant looking up at a giant!_

"Hm? Who are you?" he demands.

Kazuo, already starting to sweat, takes a deep bow. "I-it's Kazuo Yamashita, sir!"

Surprisingly, Jacque's expression lightens. "Yamashita, did you say? My son has spoken of you."

Kazuo is flabbergasted. "Y-your son did?" he exclaimed, not believing his ears.

"Indeed. He spoke of your interactions with him during the Kengan match he observed between Ohma Tokita and Jun Sekibaiyashi," Jacque informed him. _Now that he's mentioned it, I do remember speaking to someone like that!_ "You seemed to have made quite the impact on him. It leads me to believe you are a man of strong character."

_...Eh?!_ "You said… uh, me?" he mumbles pointing at himself. Jacque nods and opens his mouth, but the ship suddenly lurches before he can speak. "Woah! Are we leaving port already!?" he cries.

A second later the boat settles, but it's clear that they are now on the open water. "Hold on a second!" the shortest Schnee woman shouted. "What about Ruby?! If we're seriously going to be traveling this way, then how is she expected to provide for herself when all her belongings are with us?" she wonders.

Kazuo's jaw drops. _I-I hadn't thought about that! I didn't bring any food with me either!_ "Are you saying you haven't realized it yet, Weiss?" the older woman-most likely Winter Schnee-asked.

"Realized what?"

Winter(?) turns toward the gathered fighters. "Think for a moment about our situation. Competitors and corporations have been separated, and they've provided us with the glass screen specifically so we can observe the fighters. To me, it looks like they're putting on a 'show'."

Weiss' eyes widen. "Are you saying-?!"

"_Begin!_" The loud crack of the intercom cuts her off. Down below, in the box where all the competitors were, the doors leading out suddenly shut.

"What? Did the doors just close?" Kushida comments.

"Huh?! What just happened?!" Kazuo shouted.

"_Attention all 'employees' and 'fighters'. Thank you for your patience. This announcement is to tell you the ship has just left port, and also… to announce that the 'Kengan annihilation tournament preliminaries' have begun._"

"Preliminaries? We were never informed of such a thing," Weiss tells them.

Jacque frowns. "I imagine that was Katahara's intent. He intends to test the will of each participate by seeing how much they were willing to invest in their competitor. Crafty bastard…"

Before any more conversation can be held, the intercom comes on again. "_There are two-hundred and fifty six corporations enrolled in this tournament. Forty-nine of which have already been selected to participate in the tournament per Mr. Katahara's orders." _

"I see… so that's why he separated us," Weiss comments.

"_There are fifteen spots left in the main tournament. We will let you competitors represent the two-hundred and six currently remaining corporations. Fight for your spot… in a battle royal!_" the voice over the intercom roared. "_You have until sunrise. In the case that there are more than fifteen fighters left standing, you will all be disqualified. If there are fifteen fighters left standing before sunrise, the preliminaries will end. Also, any contact with the fighters will be prohibited until the end of the preliminaries. Any fighters unwilling to fight will be disqualified at the discretion of…_"

Kazuo has stopped paying attention by now, too wracked with worry. "T… t-this is awful! Miss Akiyama… she's in danger?!"

Jacque Schnee turns to him. "Is something the matter, Mr. Yamashita?"

"Y-yes! Very much so!" he rants, briefly forgetting that he was talking to one of the most powerful men in the world. "Miss Akiyama! She went down earlier to give Ohma his water bottle, and now she's trapped down there!"

Everyone in the Schnee family looks alarmed. "What?! A civilian down there with all those fighters!? There's no way they would allow something like that, right?" Weiss exclaimed, turning to her sister.

Winter's face is just as grim. "No… in a tournament like this, the respect and earnings of major corporations are on the line. As cruel as it may sound, something like this is trivial…"

Jacque 'tsked'. "How barbaric. The Kengan association truly has no concern for human life."

Kazuo finds it hard to focus on their words, too busy holding himself against the glass. He can see Ohma and miss Akiyama down there, the latter standing behind the giant of a man. _This is horrible! I can't even do anything to get her out of there!_ Gradually, his eyes drift towards Ohma. _Surely… surely Ohma can keep her safe, right?!_

…

"Hey! Let me out! Please, there's been a big misunderstanding! I'm not a competitor!"

Ohma isn't so full of himself that he can't admit when he might've fucked up.

He'd been expecting some sort of fight to happen, but he hadn't been meaning to get KaedeAkiyama caught up in it. He sighs, "Well, them's the breaks. Guess we just have to end this quickly." Ohma cracks his neck and turns toward the rest of the 'self-proclaimed strongest'. "Try not to get in my way…"

KaedeAkiyama smacks the back of his head.

"What are you, dense?" she asks rhetorically. "It's your fault that I ended up in this situation in the first place, so you're the one who has to take responsibility for your actions. And I'll have you uphold that responsibility by protecting me until you win the preliminaries."

Ohma turns back to face her. He'll admit, he hadn't been expecting that, but he would be lying if he said it didn't increase his opinion of her by a bit. "You've got a lot of nerve, y'know…" he trails off, feeling a feral grin slip onto his features.

"Hey asshole! You don't have the time to be sittin' on yer' hands!"

"Don't think we're gonna go easy on you because you brought a girl in here!"

Two muscle bound idiots charge at Ohma from behind, poised to strike. At the same time, they swing for him while shouting, "Dieeeeeeeee!"

_Niko Style redirection kata: Weeping Willow!_

By diverting the flow of power, Ohma sends their fists away from him and careening into the other's jaw instead. The effect is instantaneous; both of their jaws cave inward and they drop to the ground in an unconscious heap. "Guess I have no choice. I'll keep you protected, _my queen_," he says tauntingly, dropping to a fighting stance.

"Damn, that guy's pretty good. Should we take him down now?" some weakling in the din of fighters ask.

"Yeah, he'll be a bitch to take down later. Let's overwhelm him with numbers."

This sentiment quickly passes through the crowd, and before long a sizeable gaggle of fighters are moving towards Ohma's position. He isn't overly concerned, however, he'd gladly take them up on the offer of proving who's stronger.

"TOKITAAAAAAAAAA!"

The _roar_ cuts through everything else going on at that moment. Many of the fighters who had been making to attack him stopped in their tracks, turning to see who had called his name. "Huh?" Ohma grunts, just as confused as everyone else. _That voice… could it be?_

Not a second later his suspicions are confirmed, and Rihito the Ripper emerges from the countless fighters. "Tokitaaaa!" he calls again, a crazed look in his eye.

"Rihito…" he grumbles in turn, surprised to see the man again.

"Is he taking part in the tournament too?!" KaedeAkiyama asks. Similar sentiments drift through the crowd, but are quickly discarded as Rhito makes his way toward him.

"I missed you so much, Tokita…" he roars. Before he can make it any further, a bulky man with a heavily scarred face steps in front of him.

"Rihito, you motherfucker! I'm gonna pay you back tenfold for these scars you gave me!" he roars.

Rihito, in turn, doesn't react in the slightest. "Huh? Sorry, don't remember you," he disregards. The other guy growls and takes Rihito by the shoulders, who still barely reacts to the guys presence. Before he can get any further, Rihito calmly presses one of his fingers against the guy's neck. "Fuck off." With a simple swing of his finger, he tears the guys throat out and dirties his jacket with blood. The guy's body hits the floor, and Rihito closes the distance between the two of them uninterrupted.

_He slashed him from such a short distance?! He wasn't able to do that before…_ Ohma realizes, thinking back to their previous fight. "I missed you so much, Tokita!" he repeats. "I've been waiting for this moment! I've gone through some blood curdling training so I can-huh? Aren't you from the Nogi group?" he asks KaedeAkiyama, cutting himself off.

"I am."

"Well then, what're you doing in a place like this?"

"I was just simply bringing Ohma his water. Next thing I know, here I am… hey, are you listening?" she asks after a short pause.

"Are you single?"

"I knew it. You're not listening," KaedeAkiyama complains. Rihito's entire demeanor immediately changes.

"I see, I see. So that's how it is. Well don't you worry, miss Akiyama! I'll be your bodyguard from now on!" he cheers, slapping his chest like an ape.

"I think I'm good."

"She just told you she's good," Ohma cuts in, the slightest bit annoyed. "Are we gonna fight now or what?"

"Hahaha~! No need to shoot a man down like that, Tokita. Besides, there's no need to rush."

"Huh? Why not? Didn't you say you wanted us to fight?" he asks.

"Don't worry, I still plan on taking my revenge. But that's why I want you to make it to the _real fight_," he comments, leering at Ohma. "Don't you worry, Akiyama! We'll make sure you're protected!"

_This guy…_

"A-are you already dismissing us! You're gonna regret that!" someone from the crowd roars. Finally, a number of them change Ohma and Rihito on mass. Ohma doesn't waste a second springing into action. He tears into the crowd with a series of punches and kicks, knocking a majority of them down in a single strike. Rihito has a similarly easy time of it, despite how weak he is.

"You sure you want this!?" Rihito roars, throwing a lad into two other competitors. More 'self-proclaimed strongest' come to the slaughter, but it doesn't matter. Ohma wipes them away with ease, all the while making sure nobody touches KaedeAkiyama. He's started to fall into a kind of rhythm now, which makes it all the harder for the other fighters to surprise him.

"Ahhh! Stay awa-ugh!" a young man is cut off when a large dark skinned man crashes into him like a bullet.

_Guess I still haven't seen everything…_ The dark skinned man-who has flat black hair and a pronounced mustache-abruptly turns around and starts thrusting toward the air. "Perfect! Oh yeah! Caught those pigs with their ass fuckin' wide open!" he cheers.

"...What, is that? KaedeAkiyama, is that a competitor?"

"P-probably, I'm not familiar with all the entrants," she supplies weakly.

Ohma doesn't think on it any further than that. "Well, whatever he is, looks like he can keep me entertained for a bit," he taunts, feeling the beginnings of a smile cross his face. The dark skinned man seems to have just taken notice of him, and turns to Ohma with an exaggerated smile.

"Oh? Are you going to be my next prey, then?"

He lowers his body and puts his right foot forward. In an unorthodox stance, he extends both of his arms in front of him. His fists are clenched, and he flexes his thighs, getting ready to charge. At the moment, he almost looks like a rampaging bull about to hunt down its prey. Ohma tenses, but doesn't move from his position. KaedeAkiyama aside, it's best to start defensively against an opponent whose style he didn't know. "Alright~, here I come!" he cheers, and then _launches_ himself forward. It's an attack the likes of which Ohma has never seen. The man's body flys through the air like some kind of superhero. It's fortunate he travels in a straight line, otherwise Ohma isn't sure if he would've been able to follow his movements. The man barrels toward him, and Ohma tenses, getting ready too-

"Hi~yah!"

The man's head crashes to the ground and caves inward, the rest of his body quickly following as a short, young-looking girl rides his unconscious form like a skateboard until skidding to a stop. She has short black hair with red highlights, silver eyes, and a goofy smile plastered on her face. Her outfit doesn't seem especially suited to combat either, the black corset, skirt with red trim and long blood red cloak seeming more in line with some kinda fucked up nun. "That's a pretty powerful technique you have there. I could tell just from watching that it has excellent offense and defense, but when an 'immovable object' moving as fast as you did gets hit with an 'unstoppable force' like myself… well, you've seen the results," she taunts, sitting cross-legged on top of her downed opponent.

Ohma is left in slight disbelief, he hadn't even seen that girl before she took down the dark-skinned man. "She's strong…" Ohma exclaims, mostly to himself.

"Oh? I'm surprised to see her here," KaedeAkiyama comments.

"So, you actually know this one?"

She nods. "Her name is Ruby Rose. She's gained a lot of notoriety in the Kengan matches despite not being active for very long. Her match record is currently three wins, no losses."

"Only three wins, that doesn't seem like a lot."

"You only have two wins though," she mentions under her breath. "That's not the point. All of her victories have been against highly revered competitors in the Kengan association. On top of that, her performance has single handedly 'saved' the Schnee Spice companies reputation in the Kengan matches, in a sense."

Ohma glares at the woman in front of him. _RubyRose, huh?_

…

Ruby extracates herself from her opponent's body, realizing it's probably pretty rude to sit on him.

The preliminaries had been a breeze so far, and the best part was that she hadn't even needed to do much. It wasn't just Ruby's strength far exceeding that of the other competitors that made this so easy, but the sheer number of high-performance competitors on top of her. It was honestly surprising.

_Hmm?_

Her senses key her in to the fact that someone wants to fight her. When she turns to where she feels the bloodlust coming from, she spots the man she'd just saved. "Hey, that's a pretty fierce aura you got there, but are you seriously planning on fighting me here?" she asks, falling into a fighting stance nonetheless. _This guy… _there was something off about him. Ruby could feel that he was far weaker than her, but she also got the distinct impression he was hiding some incredible power. It was a weird contradiction. "I thought you were protecting the woman behind you. Actually, speaking of, what kind of idiot would drag a civilian down here in the first place?"

"Explaining stuff's never really been my strong suit. But I know how to fight, so let's do that, RubyRose."

_My full name, where'd he learn it? _she wonders. All around the two of them, fights are being waged between the remaining competitors. Which is why it's odd that no one seems to be bothering them. It's almost like they're frozen in time. Ruby's eyes narrow as the guy in front of her bounces on the balls of his feet. "So you're serious about fighting?"

"Of course," the guy states simply. Ruby lowers her body slightly and gets ready to charge. He follows her lead and stops bouncing up and down. In an instant, she's gone. Using the Rose Style: _Petal Dance_, she _moves_ to the right of him and lashes out with a right high kick. The guy just barely manages to bring his arm up and block it. _So his reactions are fast enough to block a kick from me? This guys good…_ she realizes, weaving out of the way of a punch her opponent threw. Ruby drops low, bringing her leg around in an attempt to sweep her opponent. He reacts just as quickly, and lashes out with a low kick which-from this position-would strike her head.

Ruby _moves_, appearing behind her opponent in a flash of red. She whirls around and attempts to punch her opponent's exposed liver, but then something _weird_ happens. Ruby knows that she threw her punch perfectly, but before she actually makes contact her enemy lightly places his palm on her wrist and throws her momentum off. It only takes a second for Ruby to realize what happened. _He controlled the flow of power in my punch! That's one deadly ability… especially for someone like me!_ she cries internally. Ruby 'tsked' and hopped in the air, spinning around and lashing out with her heel.

He leans out of the way of her attack, but Ruby expects as much. The second she lands, she shoots forward with a straight. Her opponent responds in kind, their fists sailing to meet the other attacker.

Then, at the same time, they stop short.

The guy she'd just been fighting stands up straight and turns to the rest of the assembled fighters. "Oh, it's you guys. The ones who get to tag along with me to the _real_ battle," he postures. Ruby snorts but responds in kind, abandoning all hostile intent. All around the impromptu arena are the unconscious bodies of fighters. However, among them are fifteen other fighters still standing.

"That was pretty hectic, but I guess there's no need to fight now that the prelims are over," Ruby comments, walking away from the older man. As she does, she scans the other competitors with a careful eye. Just by looking at them, she's able to get a decent gauge on their strength. _Just like I thought… this won't be easy. Not at all._

"**Not even ten minutes after the preliminaries began, the fifteen additional competitors who would be participating in the Kengan annihilation tournament, have already been selected. Ruby Rose, Ohma Tokita, Karo Yoshinari, Nora Valkyrie, Malachia Malakite, Keizaburo Sawada, Rihito, Blake Belladonna, Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Fox, Yatsuhashi, Jaune Arc, Emerald Sustrai, and Hassad. These are the fifteen fighters which will move on to fight in the Kengan annihilation tournament!" **

"Dammit~!"

The cry is so sharp and loud that it genuinely startles Ruby. When she turns to try and locate the source, she notices an older man in a business suit. "My predictions for the fifteen who would move on were actually right on the money! If I had only bet I would've made a killing! I could've paid off the massive debt I owe! _I would be home freeeeeeeee!_"

"Whoa, that guy's really intense, heh," Ruby comments, scratching her cheek. Just then, the metal doors which had kept her confined swung open. Ruby lets out a sigh of relief as the civilian woman that guy had dragged down is reunited with her boss. Jacque, Weiss and Winter are standing next to them, coincidently, so Ruby makes her way over to them. "Heyo~! Sorry that took so long, but I-"

"It's a good thing you're safe, Ruby. I was worried when the captain explained you would be fighting so many people at once, but it looks like you came out just fine," Weiss sighs, and offers a small smile Ruby sometimes thinks only she can see. "I'm glad."

Ruby returns the smile with one of her own. "Don't worry, I wasn't about to lose here."

"With this, I believe chairman Katahara will recognize I'm not a man to be trifled with," Jacque comments. "Either way, we no longer have any reason to stay on this dreadful ship. Come now, Ruby, Weiss, it's time for us to reconvene with those who had dismissed us."

"Huh? Oh, sure," Ruby replies absentmindedly as she follows Jacque and the others. Along with her, the guy she'd been fighting, as well as all the other competitors who had survived the prelims made their way off the S.S. Kengan. When she finally finally emerged topside, there was a crew waiting for her. Fifty or so heavily built men in suits stood on the deck, and in front of them stood a short, incredibly withered old man.

"Oh my, they're holding an award ceramony for us. They really wanna put on a show," one of the fighters comments.

"P-president Katahara!" one of the Kengan employees called out in surprise. Ruby's eyes narrow at the mention of his name. _So this is the guy in charge of the Kengan association? _Ruby isn't all that impressed, honestly.

"Everyone… congratulations on passing the preliminary round. Though, perhaps the truly lucky ones are those who didn't make it, hahahaha~!" he cackles. "We were originally going to hold a meeting in the mourning…" he trails off when one of the fighters steps forward. He has dark skin and wears a wrapping around his head. "Hm? Something to say, Hassad?"

"H-Hassad?" someone calls. Ruby can only assume this man is Hassads employer.

"There's just one question… that I would like to ask," he drawls, tearing off his burka. Beneath his head wrap lies a head of lucious hazel brown hair which falls to his shoulders.

"Oh my~ What a man he is!"

"Why were we the only ones relegated to the preliminary round? I require a satisfactory response from you." Ruby will admit to a bit of curiosity on her end. It was clear there was some kind of requirement that those on the S.S. annihilation met which Jacque didn't, but she hadn't figured out what it was.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, new meat!" Katahara roars, silencing everyone. "What exempts someone from the preliminary round is a higher position in the Kengan association hierarchy. The forty-nine companies with the most impressive achievements," he clarifies. This old man, who just moments ago had looked like someone on his deathbed, now clenches his fist and glares at them with the intensity of an edo period warlord. "This is ashura. Leaders of companies battle each other, merchant against merchant! The opinion of a tool who forgets its master is worthless. You competitors must acknowledge that you are but pieces on the board!"

Hassad seems offended by this, and starts approaching Katahara. "Is that so? Then might I remind you of the power of one piece."

"Hey, wait!" the same guy from before cries.

"Yeah, it's not worth it," Ruby adds, speaking up.

Hassad either doesn't hear her or doesn't care, because he abruptly takes off and charges at Katahara. Ruby's eyes widened in shock; she hadn't been expecting such an act of aggression toward the man who ran the Kengan association. Before he reaches Katahara, one of the men in suits takes action. His fist explodes against Hassads cheek and sends blood running down his chin. Ruby audibly gasps, along with many of the other fighters there.

Hassad doesn't seem deterred despite the staggering blow. "Y-you bastard!" he roars, charging back into battle. The bodyguard isn't giving him an inch, however, and slams his foot into Hassads face. The explosive power of his kick is so strong it not only sends Hassad off his feet, but above the heads of the fourteen other fighters and into the ocean below.

"Well done, Yodohei," Katahara compliments.

"Sir."

Hassad's disenfranchised employer stands at the railing of the ship. "H-Hassad!" he cries overboard.

Ruby is just as taken aback as him. "Hey, you old bastard! What the hell did you do that for?!"

"What a fool. He made the mistake of not knowing his own strength. Because of that, there are now only sixty-four competitors," he drawled, sounding bored with the whole affair. This really irritates Ruby. Hassad could be drowning right now, and Katahara wasn't making any effort to help him. "But~ it would change the results, so I won't mind it at all!" he cackled with the same easygoing attitude he'd shown before.

Ruby grits her teeth in anger. "Forget it! If you don't plan on saving Hassad, then I will!" she roars. Not wasting a second, Ruby speeds over to the edge of the dock and dives overboard. As she rushes towards the water, she hears someone topside call out her name-Weiss or Jacque most likely-but any sound is quickly drowned from her senses when she crashes into the water. Desperately, she searches underwater for any side of the faded white robes that would clue her in to his location. Unfortunately, picking out literally anything in the ocean at night was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Only you can't breath while you're searching, and every second the needle sinks further and further.

Growling internally, Ruby dives deeper and does her damndest to try and find anything in the infinite pooling darkness of the ocean. Her lungs start to burn, but she ignores it and swims deeper. After a few more seconds of fruitless searching, she tries to change her strategy by looking for the air bubbles Hassad would be producing. Desperately, she swings her head up and down, left and right, literally anywhere she could get at in order to find a sign of Hassad. Eventually, she can't bear anymore and has to come up for air.

Once she surfaces, Ruby takes big gulps of oxygen while she splashes about. While treading water, she makes one last look around her to try and see if she can spot any sign of the dark skinned man. But, there's nothing…

"Ruby!" Weiss cries.

Ruby cranes her neck up, and just barely catches her friend peering over the side of the railing at her. She looks so genuinely concerned that Ruby can't help but cringe. "Hey Weiss! Don't worry, I'm fine!" she trails off, not sure what else to say. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she tries, "Uh, the water's fine?" She flashes her big, goofy smile for Weiss' sake, but she's still more than a little shaken. _Hassad… is he really dead, just like that? It feels so surreal…_

Ruby narrows her eyes, and tries to glare through the ship as she mentally pictures Metsudo Katahara. _I guess this is the true essence of the Kengan annihilation tournament, huh…?_

**A.N: Ruby snags a spot in the tournament! You go girl. I'm sure I've said this before, but I wanted to make the Schnee company in this fic an oddity in the Kengan world, in that they suck at the Kengan matches but have an incredibly successful business. Other than that, I'm sure some of you more attentive viewers notices some noteworthy names among the fifteen Preliminary fighters. Don't worry, I fully plan to expand on those characters in this story, and how they relate to each other. In the meantime, I hope you look forward to more of The Kengan Reaper!**


End file.
